Brittney Griner Was Overcome with Emotion After Team USA Olympics Gold Medal Win
Perhaps no player was more caught up in the moment of the US women's national basketball team gold medal win over France at the Olympics than Brittney Griner. Which is understandable given Griner's experiences are quite unique.
Brittney of course spent nearly a year in a Russian prison before being released as part of a prisoner swap. That ordeal ended less than two years ago and is the kind of thing that can have a way of changing one's perspective.
Brittney Griner started to get emotional as she received her gold medal and listened to the USA national anthem 🥺🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/97r52YHDUC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 11, 2024
Griner was seen with tears in her eyes and her hand on her heart during the national anthem following yet another gold medal victory for the American women. And though BG had previously won gold two other times at the Olympic games, this particular medal felt different.
Griner had this to say after Team USA narrowly defeated France per an ESPN piece by Brian Windhorst. "My emotions are all over the place. It means so much to me. My family didn't think I would be here, like I've said before, and then to be here and win and gold for my country, representing when my country fought for me so hard to even be standing here. Yeah, this gold medal is going to hold a special place."
When she was initially released from Russia, Griner had vowed not to play overseas again, except for in one instance. "I'm never going overseas to play again unless it's to represent my country."
Well, that is exactly what happened for Brittney Griner, who was able to help Team USA secure an eighth consecutive gold medal.
But some victories are sweeter than others, and for her, this particular win would fall into that category. Since Griner likely has more of a grasp of the magnitude of representing your country at the Olympics than is possible for most athletes.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!