Everyone made the same observation after WNBA star center Brittney Griner revealed her national anthem decision.
Griner, who is representing the United States women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, will stand this month when the anthem plays before games at the event.
The Phoenix Mercury star expressed as much in an interview with the Associated Press, expressing how happy she is to have the opportunity to wear the Team USA jersey following her harrowing ordeal in a Russian prison.
“It means everything to me honestly,” she told the publication. “For me to now have the honor to wear it again and potentially win gold is icing on the cake for everything.”
Fans Loved What Brittney Griner Had To Say About The National Anthem
Brittney Griner previously stated she would not stand for the anthem, but she changed her tune after being released from prison.
WNBA star Brittney Griner rejects some people saying the U.S. shouldn’t have saved her from Russian detention because she knelt during the National Anthem.
“The unpatriotic thing, that blows my mind because 1) my dad fought for this country. … I wanted to be a cop.” pic.twitter.com/epTOxYYXkz
— The Recount (@therecount) May 30, 2024
“I’m grateful to be here, that’s for sure. I’m not going to take a day for granted,” she said last year.
“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different. It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different. … Being here today … it means a lot.”
Fans were glad to see it from Brittney Griner.
“I, for one, give her credit for changing her mind about the USA. She experienced the horrible conditions in the Russian prison. Yes, we negotiated a deal to get her out, but she now feels differently about her Country! Give her/him a chance,” one wrote.
“Freedom isn’t free,” another noted.
“Learned a lesson,” wrote a third.
Meanwhile, the Olympics are set to tip off on Friday evening, with NBC and Peacock offering full coverage.
