Brittney Griner posted a *thank you* message on Instagram today

[iluvtennis]

brittneyyevettegriner

It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.

I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration.

President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.

As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey.

I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.

Love always,

BG #42

Photo credit: U.S. Army South photo by Miguel Negron

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Welcome home BG!

[Bleacher Creature]

1. She seems like a genuinely decent human being.

So glad she's home safe.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yup... The more she shows of who she really IS...

the more deplorable her critics prove to be.

[Dorian Gray]

2. So happy she's back home

with her loved ones this holiday season.

And I'm very happy she'll be using her voice to advocate for those left behind.

[planetc]

4. She touched every base here, so to speak, and has beautiful manners.

No one has gone unthanked, and she gives fair warning to other WNBA teams of her return. Personally, I think she is a model American.

[iluvtennis]

9. She is a genuinely good and kind hearted person. Dad is ex-military and ex-policeman.

BG is what you would call a gentle giant.

Here is a human interest story on her you might enjoy.

Brittney Griner shares how she helped save family after ATV accident in Sedona

[planetc]

19. I did indeed enjoy that very much. Whoever raised her did a splendid job.

[iluvtennis]

20. Glad you liked it.

[MLAA]

11. Agree wholeheartedly!

Class act.

[cilla4progress]

5. So gracious!

[niyad]

6. KNR

[calimary]

7. No more games in Russia, though.

This could easily happen again.

No more ANYTHING in Russia if that’s possible. Don’t give ‘em an inch. They might make you a political hostage.

[iluvtennis]

13. BG played in Russia 7/8 years. Agree with you she won't go back, but there are playing options

Last edited Fri Dec 16, 2022, 07:40 PM - Edit history (1)

overseas in Australia, Italy, Japan, Turkey, other.

The WNBA players play overseas to supplement their very low salaries.

Top WNBA players like Griner make about $200K per year in WNBA. Brittney was making $1Mil in Russia. That's why she and other WNBA players go overseas to play.

Too bad the WNBA players can't be compensated on the level of NBA players.

[Elwood P Dowd]

17. The problem is the huge revenue disparity.

The WNBA brings in 60-70 million a year in revenue while the NBA brings in over 7 billion. That's over a 100-1 ratio.

[iluvtennis]

18. Can't argue with u EPD. With some more marketing and exposure for the WNBA, the W could

start to bring in more revenue.

WNBA only has 12 teams while NBA has 30 teams. Why not put a WNBA team in ever locale where there is a NBA team. Of course, people aren't going to pay what they pay for NBA tickets, but you could start to increase revenue that way.

I'm a fan for all basketball -- NBA, WNBA, NCAA - women and men, FIBA. And as a fan, I actually prefer women's basketball because you have to play strategically and play both sides of the court (offense & defense) to win.

[Desert Dog]

24. TV

They need a better TV contract. Until then, they need a broadcast partner that showcases the league on a weekly basis, maybe even two outlets. They need to create one night per week that is WNBA night. Like maybe Friday night. Make it a big party. Publicize the crap out of it. Maybe on a non - cable network that is not overloaded with other options (like ESPN). WNBA gets lost in the weeds. Another idea would be a Saturday morning game on a broadcast network that caters to a young crowd. Grow interest with the kids.

The public just does not know the players very well. People don't care about the laundry (teams), as they have limited history. Their only hope is to optimize PR for the players.. Play up the match ups and the drama - like wrestling and MMA. How does the mellow WNBA compete with flashy sports and low attention span of the modern viewers? Can they tie in better with the gambling world? That is a big driver in pro sports now.

It starts with women. I am not sure women care that much about basketball - NBA or WNBA. When you see crowd shots of NBA games, it seems @ 80 /20 men. If you are waiting for male NBA fans to fully embrace WNBA, you may be waiting a while. The games are just different. First, there is nothing like a real NBA game. The speed and athleticism is extraordinary. WNBA play is terrific, but the aforementioned characteristics of the NBA do not seem prevalent in WNBA. The actual on court product feels lack luster compared to the NBA. Are people supposed to watch it because it is women? Not sure that is enough.

Sorry if this comes off sexist. I truly want the WNBA to succeed. I love sports and have watched many WNBA games. They have some huge hurdles to improve public acceptance of the sport. Not sure hanging on NBA coattails and picking up their scraps is a good strategy for growth.

[iluvtennis]

25. Love your thoughts on how exposure can be increased. Udid not come off as sexist (I'm a woman)

and welcome to DU.

[Desert Dog]

23. Nike

She is also making 1m per year from Nike contract. Let's not pretend that clearing 1.2m per year is some economic hardship. While she has a right to seek out compensation any way she sees fit, I cant help thinking her management did a poor job of explaining the risks of dealing with Russia. Between their views on homosexuality and the military hardware that was lined up on the Ukraine border, going to Russia was a bad decision.

So glad BG is back and healthy. I can't believe dumb ass conservatives are making political waves about our Olympic star. Of course, they will bitch about anything. I am sure many were clamoring "why hasn't Biden done anything about BG?" before the release. Like Biden controls Putin somehow.

[treestar]

26. curious why Russians like women's basketball so much more

than Americans do - if they can make so much more money there, must be they can sell more tickets.

[Meowmee]

8. I am glad she is out of there

I hope everyone else gets out too.

[Jilly_in_VA]

10. BG is a good person

Nobody has gone unthanked here. I have a feeling she was good to her fellow prisoners too.

[halfulglas]

12. She's the kind of smart, caring person who

Might be a real success in politics when her playing days are over, not a certain Texan who lost in Georgia.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Welcome home BG!!!

I truly hope you fully heal. I wish you all the very best.

Anyone who chose to spend a lifetime with Cherelle has to be good people!

[Raine]

15. It's a very nice message. 🙂👍 nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. K&R

[nightwing1240]

21. Welcome home Brittney

Very admirable of her to thank all involved in helping with her release and advocating for the release of Paul Whelan and other Americans being held in Russia. Well done Brittney.

[aax]

22. Looking forward to seeing her back on the court.

Welcome home BG!