US basketball player Brittney Griner has said that she will "never go overseas again" to play unless she is representing her country at the Olympics. She was speaking to the reporters for the first time after being detained for nearly 10 months in Russia on drug-related charges. Ms Griner got emotional while addressing the press conference on Thursday where she also talked about her resiliency through the ordeal. Ms Griner was arrested on drug smuggling charges in February 2022 after a small amount of cannabis oil was found in her luggage. Her detention became a major global issue, deemed wrongful imprisonment by US officials.
She was released in December last year in a prisoner exchange with Russia.
"I'm no stranger to hard times. Just digging deep. You're going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it," The Guardian quoted Ms Griner as saying during the press conference at Footprint Centre, home of her new team the Phoenix Mercury.
The 32-year-old is one of the leading WNBA players, but said she won't be going overseas to play (except at the Olympics) due to pay gap.
"If I make that (US) team, that would be the only time I'll leave the US soil and that's just to represent the USA. The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap," she said, according to CNN.
"A lot of us go over there to make an income, to support out families, to support ourselves. So I don't knock any player that wants to go overseas and want to make a little bit extra money," she added.
"But I'm hoping that our league continues to grow and with as many people in here now covering this I hope you continue to cover our league and bring exposure to us," said Ms Griner.
In February, her team Phoenix Mercury posted photos of Ms Griner returning to the court after coming back to the US. After her release, Ms Griner has made a few public appearances, including at a Martin Luther King Day event last month.
Brittney Griner helped the US women win the Olympic gold at Tokyo and Rio. She last played for the Mercury in 2021, when she helped Phoenix reach the WNBA Final, but the team lost to Chicago.
Phoenix's season opener is set for May 21 at Los Angeles with the home debut two nights later against Chicago.
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