Watch the video: US basketball player Brittney Griner is happy about her comeback.
She is back. 32-year-old US professional basketball player Brittney Griner. On Friday in Los Angeles, she made her first official appearance at a game played by her team, the Phoenix Mercury, at the Los Angeles Sparks. Your last game was in October 2021, around a year and a half ago. In between were 10 months in a Russian prison. Only after arduous negotiations was she released in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap. In February 2022, she was arrested at a Moscow airport on her way from New York after customs officials found hashish oil in her luggage, possession of which is illegal in Russia. Griner pleaded guilty in court, alleging that he had the drugs “unintentionally” on him. The Texan was subsequently sentenced to nine years in a penal colony. Griner was just happy at the press conference after the game on Friday: “Whatever I did there on the pitch, it was just nice to be back and play a real game. The reception from the fans was great Fantastic. Also through the players. I definitely felt it. I always felt it. Even when I was over there. Every woman in this league, every coach who shook hands with me. I felt that, so it was nice. But unfortunately it wasn’t good enough in terms of performance. I couldn’t really help my team.” Because the game ended with a 71:94 defeat. But the performance should not only have felt like a great success for Brittney Griner. Among the guests was US Vice President Kamala Harris. And the game at the start of the WNBA season was broadcast live on the US sports TV channel ESPN.