It seems life has come full circle for Connecticut Sun’s Brittney Griner, as cameras caught her standing and singing along to the national anthem on the sidelines as the Dallas Wings took on the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. The postgame discussion among the fans was about Griner’s gesture, which is a marked shift from her earlier stance.
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While Griner was not playing the game for the Sun, she was present on the sidelines to support her squad. Her reaction to the anthem caught the attention of fans, and video footage of the moment quickly went viral. According to a post by X HouseLowlights, Griner was seen staring up while the American national anthem played. The post also noted that she was the only Suns player seen standing for the anthem.
It’s hard not to see this change of heart from Griner. This is a clear reversal of Griner’s stance from just a few years ago, when she famously refused to take the court when the national anthem was played.
As part of the Phoenix Mercury team in 2020, Griner, rather controversially, famously remarked, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand,” she said, per The Arizona Republic.
The WNBA at that time was rife with protests from players. This was against the backdrop of nationwide social justice protests following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
However, Griner was detained in a Russian prison for nearly ten months in 2022. She was playing in Russia at the time, as many WNBA players head to overseas leagues in the offseason to supplement their income. Griner was caught up in legal troubles then and was stripped of all the freedoms that a typical American enjoys, and was allegedly put on trial, sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, and fined 1 million rubles.
Brittney Griner was only released after a high-profile prisoner exchange. And her stance vis-à-vis the national anthem saw a shift as she made her much-awaited return to basketball activities in 2023.
“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner said back in 2023. “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.”
Griner has now won three Olympic golds: at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was visibly emotional when the anthem was played as Team USA took the stage to receive their gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Griner was seen wiping the tears from her face.
So Griner standing up for the anthem is perhaps a continuation of her changed stance.
While it has been a season to forget for the Connecticut Sun, who sit 14th in the standings with a 10-30 record, the same cannot be said for Griner, who has surpassed a few individual milestones this season despite her team’s struggles.
She became the all-time WNBA Blocks Leader on June 22, recording her 878th career block. She surpassed the legendary Margo Dydek (877) to take sole possession of the top spot in league history. Back in May, Griner became just the 18th player in WNBA history to score 6,000 career points.
Griner has been the bright spot for the Sun this season, averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season, and leads them in points.
She did not feature in the game against the Wings due to a knee issue as the clash ended in a 91-71 defeat for the Sun. It was a third straight loss for the Sun, as Dallas guard Arike Ogunbowale put up 18 points, and forward Jessica Shepard had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Dallas Wings, who are now without Azzi Fudd.
The Wings, now with a 24-16 record, have won four games in a row and have equalled a franchise record for the most wins in a season since 2007, when they won 24 games as the Detroit Shock.
The Wings will now host the Los Angeles on September 17 after the FIBA break, and the Sun will face the daunting task of beating the Atlanta Dream, who are fighting for the fourth seed, on the same day, looking to end their three-game skid.