2023-07-09 18:28:04
BarcelonaBrittney Griner, the basketball player who spent more than ten months in a Russian prison before being traded by the arms dealer Víktor But, is experiencing her most atypical season in the WNBA. After being a year and a half without setting foot on a parquet, the pivot tries to use sport to forget the nightmare she lived when she was arrested on charges of drug possession and smuggling. His sentence was nine years.
Griner is putting up his usual stats (19.3 points and 6.3 rebounds), but his team, the Phoenix Mercury, is in last place in the standings with just three wins in 17 games. His feelings on the floor are good, but the pressure he has to live with doesn’t help him. The player was harassed a few weeks ago at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport by a youtuber which usually engages in provoking political figures. The events happened after the team had played twice against the home team and started the journey to Indiana. The WNBA ensures that the player, within a security plan established before the start of the season, is authorized to travel on charter flights, but this time she did not.
“The safety of female players while traveling is paramount. People following them with cameras and making wild comments is never acceptable. Our team cowered nervously in a corner not knowing how to move. We demand a little more,” she wrote in social networks Brianna Turner, Griner’s colleague at the Mercury.
The WNBA summarized its opinion in a statement. “The fact was orchestrated by a social media figure and a provocateur. His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate. The safety of Brittney Griner and all female players in the WNBA is our highest priority. Prior to the season, the WNBA worked closely with the Mercury and Griner’s personal team to ensure her safety during the trips, which included charter flights and security personnel assigned with her at all times.”
The situation he experienced in Russia has increased Griner’s social awareness. “To all those who are unjustly detained around the world, stay strong, keep fighting, don’t give up. Keep pushing because we will not stop fighting, we will not stop raising awareness for all those who were left behind,” says the player , who acknowledges that the letters she received while in prison kept her hopeful.
Wage gap
Griner remains one of the most followed female athletes in the United States. A few days ago, she was selected by the fans to start this weekend’s All-Star game. “I will never play abroad again, unless it’s to represent my country in the Olympics,” says Griner, who wants to avoid risks. The pivot is very clear why American players combine the WNBA with contracts in other international leagues. “The reason is the wage gap. Many of us go outside the United States to have extra income and help our families. So I won’t criticize the players who want to go there and make some extra money,” he says.
#Russian #prison #AllStar #basketball #league #world