Brittney Griner Says She'll 'Never Go Overseas to Play Again' After Her Russian Imprisonment

Griner said "the only time" she would make an exception to play overseas is to "represent the USA"

Brittney Griner will never go overseas to play basketball again after her Russian imprisonment unless she'll be representing the United States, she told reporters in an emotional press conference Thursday in Phoenix.

The press conference marked the first time the 32-year-old WNBA star had spoken to reporters since her release from Russian detainment in December.

When asked if she would ever play basketball overseas again, Griner confidently responded, "I'm never going overseas to play again unless I'm representing my country at the Olympics."

"If I make that team, that would be the only time I would leave the U.S. soil, and that's just to represent the USA," the Phoenix Mercury star explained.

Like many WNBA stars, Griner played in international leagues overseas during the Mercury's offseason for financial reasons, and she was traveling to meet her Russian team, UMMC Yekaterinburg, when she was arrested at a Moscow airport.

"I'll say this, the whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap," Griner said. "A lot of us go over there to make an income, to support our families, to support ourselves."

Griner added, "So I don't knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little bit extra money. I'm hoping that our league continues to grow, and with as many people in here right now covering this, I hope you continue, like I said, to cover our league, bring exposure to us."

Related:Brittney Griner Has 'Gotten Better' Ahead of Basketball Return, Says Teammate Diana Taurasi

The WNBA all-star said she hopes that more companies "start to invest in our craft" as the league gets ready to kick off a new season. "If you haven't watched before, we have a really good craft in ourselves in the WNBA, and it's a shame that we have to leave our families for holidays," she added.

Griner further detailed the sacrifices that come with playing overseas.

"I mean, you're missing everything being away," she said. "But at the same time, as much as I would love to pay my light bill with the love of the game, I can't. So I think that's probably one of the biggest reasons people are still going overseas, and that's why I was there. So hopefully that changes."

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Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug smuggling charges after officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in the country, in her luggage in February 2022. She was released in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8 and returned to the U.S. a day later.

The basketball star announced earlier this month that she will tell her "raw, emotional" story of her arrest and ten-month detainment in Russia in a new memoir, which is slated to be released next year.

Related:Brittney Griner Celebrates Wife Cherelle Becoming an Attorney: 'Abundantly Proud'

The book will include previously-unheard details about Griner's "stark" living conditions and the "terrifying aspects" of day-to-day life in a foreign prison.

The release promises that Griner's "intimate and moving" memoir will explore how the global #WeAreBG movement supported her during her detainment and why she was even playing in Russia to begin with — pay inequity.

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