Brittney Griner sits down with Joy Reid on MSNBC/Photo credit: MSNBC
The 2024 Summer Paris Olympic Games officially ended over the weekend, and the closing ceremony, as did the opening ceremony, spectacularly took place.
The United States Women’s Basketball team defeated the hometown French Women’s Basketball team in the gold-medal game with a 67-66 win in a hard-fight, competitive, and exciting match. Brittney Griner won gold medals with the US women’s team in Rio and Tokyo before the recent 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, making her a three-time Olympic gold medal winner.
Griner could be visibly seen crying as she stood on the podium during the playing of the US National Anthem, and the flag was raised in recognition of the team’s gold medal win. Griner was accompanied in Paris at the Olympic games by her wife, Cherelle, who she’s been married to since June 2019. In April 2024, the couple announced on Instagram that they were just three months away from welcoming their first child.
Almost two years after being released in a high-profile prisoner exchange, Griner returned to professional basketball with the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA team she played for before her arrest. Ultimately, she was selected to represent the 2024 US Women’s Olympic Basketball team for the third time in her career.
“I didn’t think I would be here,” the 33-year-old said after the United States beat France’s Women’s Olympic team, per Reuters. “And then to be here and winning gold for my country, representing when my country fought for me so hard to even be standing here. This gold medal is going to hold a special place amongst the other two I was fortunate to win.”
The 6’9, 205-pound Houston native was drafted in the first round of the WNBA by the Phoenix Mercury as the 13 pick overall. She is well known for her talents playing in the WNBA. She also previously played professionally in Russia during the offseason from the WNBA.
The name “Britney Griner” is a household name aside from her status as a professional basketball player. The entire world became familiar with Griner’s story when she was detained in a Russian Airport traveling back to America for possession of vaping cartridges in her luggage containing cannabis oil.
Although she had a medical marijuana prescription in America, she spent nearly ten months in detention beginning in February 2022 despite pleading guilty to the charges and being sentenced to nine years in prison.
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