Russia released Brittney Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout on December 8. After she was first arrested in February, many fans and celebrities voiced their support for her return. Then when she was sentenced to nine years in prison, many were outraged. Her supporters felt the nine-year sentence was harsh, given her alleged crime of carrying small amounts of cannabis oil. So when she was finally released after ten months, many celebrated her return to the country and welcomed her.

However, there was recently a Brittney Griner homecoming party that did not turn out the way some expected it to be. Interestingly, it was in Waco, Texas where Griner’s basketball came into limelight.

Fans react to the homecoming celebration of Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner played college basketball for Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She played four years of college basketball and was one of the most dominant college players. During her time with the Baylor Lady Bears, Griner broke several records and helped led the team to a national title in 2012. For her displays for Baylor, she is very popular in Waco.

However, when a Griner homecoming party was arranged at a church near her alma mater, very few turned up. The video clip of the party had some brutal reactions from the fans. Here are some reactions:

https://twitter.com/PattiEl29265231/status/1606886029683720193?s=20&t=AZW_nWAwQf_WnsINcvN6YQ

According to reports from Outkick, only 20 people showed up to the event. Even though Griner was very popular during her time with Baylor, she did face some issues because of her sexuality. The 2014 WNBA champion once revealed the school tried to keep her silent about her sexuality. Griner came out as gay publicly after she was drafted. However, many close to her knew about her sexuality ever since high school.

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But Griner did not know about Baylor’s official stance on homosexuality. The school policy classifies ?homosexual acts? as sexual misconduct and as ?misuses of God?s gifts.? So when she tweeted about her girlfriend, she was allegedly asked to be quiet about her sexuality. However, she admitted she did not face any issues with her teammates or coaching staff.

Backlash around Griner’s release

Brittney Griner was released from captivity after tremendous efforts from the U.S. government. President Joe Biden’s administration was continuously engaged with Russia to secure the release of the WNBA star. When she was finally released, many praised the government’s work.

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However, there was huge criticism for the release of arms dealer Viktor Bout. Furthermore, there was backlash for not bringing back former Marine Paul Whelan. These reasons could have played a role in people not showing up to the homecoming party.