After the release of Brittney Griner, her fans and many celebrities celebrated the news. Over the past ten months, during her captivity in Russia, many openly showed their support for Griner and urged the government to bring her back. After continued engagement between the two countries, she was finally released last week in exchange for Viktor Bout. Griner recently gave her first public statement after the release. Recently, Becky Hammon, head coach of the WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces further shed light on the Phoenix Mercury star’s statement.

Hammon has dual citizenship with the U.S. and Russia. She has played in international basketball tournaments representing both countries as well. Notably, she won the Bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The U.S. won the Gold medal.

Hammon on Brittney Griner playing in the WNBA again

Becky Hammon made an appearance on ESPN alongside NBA analyst and former player Richard Jefferson. During the show, the crew talked about Griner’s first public statement after release. In the statement, Brittney Griner stated that she would play for the Phoenix Mercury in the upcoming season.

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Hammon was asked how big is it to have Griner back on the floor. She replied, “Well, her presence was missed at every turn last year. So I’m excited she’s back here. She’s excited about playing basketball. And I think one thing you know is that her faith got her through these rough times, these last ten months.”

She is not the only celebrity to share her excitement for the release of Griner. Many NBA superstars and former superstars celebrated her release as well.

Hammon worked as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs for eight years under the tutelage of legendary head coach, Gregg Popovich. Many believed she would take over the reins from Popovich once he retires. However, that did not materialize. She then became the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces last year. She brought instant success winning the WNBA title in her first season as head coach.

Griner’s promise

In her statement, Brittney Griner expressed her gratitude to everyone that advocated for her release. She added that she is grateful for the staff at the military base where she landed after her release.

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Griner revealed that she will play in the upcoming WNBA season and stated she would thank everyone that supported her in person. Furthermore, she promised that she would use her platform to help President Joe Biden in bringing home every American detained in foreign prisons.