Team USA Coach Has Emotional Take on Brittney Griner’s Olympics Return

Griner’s experience highlights the geopolitical backdrop that often factors into the Olympic Games. While she has competed in the Olympics twice before, the 2024 Paris Games will be markedly different for her. The WNBA star has expressed her desire to never play overseas again, though she is open to representing Team USA at the Olympics.

The conditions of the Mercury star’s imprisonment, including her transfer to a penal colony in Mordovia, were grim. She described the unsanitary and harsh environment, which forced her to cut her dreadlocks to survive the frigid temperatures. Her ordeal involved the U.S. government, the Kremlin, and international diplomacy, ultimately leading to her release in a high-profile prisoner exchange.

As Griner prepares to return to the international stage, her story serves as a reminder of the complex and evolving landscape surrounding the Olympic Games.

Team USA Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Drops Emotional Take on Brittney Griner’s Olympics Comeback

Before Team USA took the court for their first Olympic game against Japan, head coach Cheryl Reeve expressed her thoughts about the WNBA center, as seen in an article written by Dan Wetzel for Yahoo Sports.

“It’s remarkable when you think about that personal, deeply painful situation,” U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said. “The way we felt for her personally. Despair. Loss of hope. The things she went through. It is remarkable that she is playing this game and is back playing in the Olympics. I think often about how difficult that must be.”

Team USA will enter the Olympics as the heavy-favorites to win the gold in this category after they dominated the games in Tokyo four years ago. This time around, Reeve is coaching a star-studded roster that includes Grinner, Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, and Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi, among others.

With Grinner in the squad, the United States have a better chance of doing a repeat of their gold medal finish during the 2020 Olympics. More than that, though, is the incredible journey she has gone through after experiencing so much hardships in the past.