WNBA star Brittney Griner to stand for anthem after being 'stripped of her essential American freedoms'

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WNBA star Brittney Griner intends to stand for the national anthem during the upcoming season after spending nearly 10 months in a Russian prison, according to her agent.

Griner made headlines last week when she returned to game action with the Phoenix Mercury for the first time since the 2021 WNBA Finals. 

Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury stands for the national anthem before the WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Footprint Center in Phoenix on May 12, 2023. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Prior to the preseason tilt, Griner and her teammates stood for the national anthem, with Griner saying the anthem "definitely hit different" following her incarceration in Russia. 

BRITTNEY GRINER PLAYS IN FIRST GAME SINCE DETAINMENT, SAYS HEARING NATIONAL ANTHEM 'DEFINITELY HIT DIFFERENT'

It was an about-face from the basketball star, who stated in July 2020 that she didn't feel the national anthem should be played during the WNBA season, adding that she would not be on the court for the anthem if it continued to be played before games. 

On Friday, Griner’s agent penned an op-ed in Time explaining why Griner will stand for the national anthem during the 2023 WNBA season. 

"Last year, most WNBA teams chose to remain in their locker rooms during the national anthem, in a gesture of unified protest against the incongruity between the values the anthem signifies and the realities for Black people in America," Lindsay Kagawa Colas wrote. "This year, as so much remains unchanged, some teams or players may do the same. Others may sit or kneel. Still others, including Brittney Griner, plan to stand up — physically for the anthem