[ad_1]
© Reuters. Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was detained in Russia, is surrounded by press after unveiling a mural painted by Antoinette Cauley, that depicts the faces of Griner and people who’re detained oversees, forward of her return to court docket with Phoenix M
2/4
By Amy Tennery
(Reuters) – Brittney Griner performed along with her Phoenix Mercury for the primary time since 2021 on Friday, taking the court docket far prior to she anticipated for his or her preseason recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Sparks, after practically 10 months of detention in Russia.
The 2-time Olympic gold medalist was launched from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner alternate with the US late final yr after she was arrested in February 2022 on drug costs.
“I did not suppose I’d be sitting right here. I did not suppose I’d be enjoying basketball this shortly,” Griner informed reporters after the Sparks handed them a 90-71 loss.
“I did not know the way it was going to go, getting again into it. Grateful to be right here, that is for positive.”
Griner was greeted to roars of celebration at Phoenix’s Footprint Heart on Friday as she exited the tunnel and strode onto the court docket.
The eight-time All-Star obtained on the board within the first minute with a two-point shot, and had 10 factors with three rebounds throughout 17 minutes.
Probably the most dominant forces within the Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Affiliation earlier than her detention, Griner conceded she had loads of work forward to get again to her outdated self.
“I did not really feel like I used to be gassed or dying,” mentioned Griner, who supplied a withering self-appraisal of her defensive efficiency. “(I am) knocking off these cobwebs, eliminating the unhealthy habits.”
The 2-time WNBA scoring champion has been topic to huge media curiosity since her return to the US, utilizing her super-sized platform to champion the reason for different Individuals detained overseas.
The 32-year-old, who’s engaged on a memoir about her arrest and imprisonment, mentioned the season forward additionally supplied a possibility to concentrate on the sport once more.
“It feels good, you positively really feel appreciated,” mentioned Griner. “However I am unable to look ahead to the day the place it is type of like simply basketball.”
The Mercury open their common season on the highway in Los Angeles in opposition to the Sparks on Might 19.
[ad_2]
Source link
