In first Olympics since Russian imprisonment, Brittney Griner more grateful than ever

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PARIS — Brittney Griner knows the face she presents to the world is often a mask. 

She knows what you see — the goofy grin, the 6-foot-9 big kid who loves skateboarding and off-roading, the intimidating shot-blocker on the basketball court — is only a fraction of the truth. 

To outsiders it looks like Griner has moved on quickly from her 10-month detention in Russian custody, a terrifying and isolating stretch of time that would’ve broken most people. When she poses for photos with fans, easily banks in an eight-footer, it looks like things are back to normal. But they’re not, and she’s not. 

Griner will begin play early next week in her third Olympics, a defensive anchor for the team trying to bring home its record eighth consecutive gold medal. Griner, a member of the Tokyo and Rio teams, already has two gold medals in the sport. But she knows this one would feel different. 

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“What BG’s gone through in the last couple years is obviously unprecedented,” said Diana Taurasi, Griner’s teammate both in the Olympics and with the Phoenix Mercury. “To be able to put this jersey back on, to be at opening ceremony last night, Obviously I’m pretty close with BG and I know she feels grateful, thankful … for her to be able to come back, to get on that flight to come overseas, it was a big moment for her in a lot of ways. But I’m glad she did it, because she’s a remarkable person.

“I know we see her on the court as being this intimidating, dominant force but I always say she’s the person with the biggest heart. That’s why people went to bat for her so hard.” 

Just 22 months ago, when the Americans headed to Australia for the 2022 Women’s World Cup, USA Basketball announced that no one would wear Griner’s No. 15 jersey — they were saving it for her, believing she would return home safe some day. 

She’ll put that jersey on Monday when the U.S. takes on Japan in the first game of pool play in the city of  Lille, along France’s northern border. It will be the third time she’s worn the jersey since she returned; she played in the USA’s 117-109 loss to the WNBA All-Stars on July 20 and on July 23 in the USA’s 84-57 win over Germany in its final tune up before the Olympics. 

But it will be the first time she’s worn it on an international stage, with people again watching her from all over the world — just like they did when she was locked up in Russia.

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“It’s always with me, and there’s definitely moments of like, oh wow this could be totally different — I could be seeing this beautiful view through bars,” Griner said Saturday from USA practice. “It doesn’t go away. It makes you appreciate everything a little bit more too.” 

Stepping aboard her first international flight to head to the Olympics wasn’t hard she said. The train ride to Lille was another story though. That’s a nod to the numerous times she was shoved in a train in Russia and not told where she was going. Cramped, terrified and losing hope — “it’s a dangerous thing to have,” she said Saturday — she often had to wait until she reached her destination to get even a scrap of information. 

It’s no wonder she’s so grateful to be here. And her resilience hasn’t been lost on her teammates or coaches. 

“It’s remarkable, when you think about that personal, deeply painful situation that our entire league felt, but for her personally — the despair, loss of hope, things that she went through, it’s remarkable that she is who she is today and playing this game back abroad, playing in the Olympics,” added USA coach Cheryl Reeve. “I think often about how difficult that must be because BG will always put on the face that you see. But we know that there is a lot more than she’s working through. We’ve been mindful … that she might look OK but there’s clearly emotions with this.”

Griner, for her part, is trying to tune out those emotions as best she can and “tell myself we don’t have time for that” if she wants to win her third consecutive gold. But that’s not always possible when you’re representing your country, she said. After all, this is the woman whose father is a military veteran and lifetime police officer. Her father’s service inspired Griner, who before she found basketball, thought she’d go into the military, too.  

The Olympics have so far served as a reunion of sorts for Griner. The coaches of her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg, Miguel Mendez and Luis Rey, are coaching the Spanish national team, and she got to see — and hug — them for the first time since February 2022. Friday night during the opening ceremony, numerous athletes, from the U.S. and beyond, approached Griner to tell her how happy they were to see her. That they’d followed her journey, prayed for her safe return. Their message resonated. 

“At the end of the day we’re all athletes, we’re all in this together, and it’s bigger than sports,” Griner said. “You hear that a lot. Now I understand it.”

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell