Last year, Brittney Griner spent 10 months in a Russian penal colony after she was arrested for a small amount of prescription cannabis oil found in her bag and given a hefty conviction. It was a difficult experience and now she’s facing new challenges after returning to the United States.
After the harrowing ordeal, Brittney Griner will not be able to simply come back to the United States and live her life in peace. She’ll have plenty of media attention and critics to deal with on top of the stresses of getting her body in playing shape after spending nearly a year away from the court.
It’s a tough situation, and teammate Diana Taurasi addressed it during a recent interview.
“She’s the one doing the bid, not us,” Taurasi said. “So, how do I make sure I come into the gym and make sure I bring my best self? Because I know that’s what BG would do.
“And she went through something that no one else has gone through. So, she’s going to have to find a way to navigate the attention, the eyes, the publicity, the mental strain of having all that and still getting back into basketball form. It’s a lot. It’s a lot. But hopefully when she comes here, this is home for her, right? It’s all she knows.”
We’ll certainly have to see how Griner handles the upcoming season.
[ESPN]
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