Brittney Griner is lacing up her sneakers and hitting the hardwood once again, adding a new chapter in her storied basketball career as she eyes playing for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After spending 10 months detained in Russia, Griner is back on the court, this time for Team USA, ready to chase her third Olympic gold medal and the eighth overall for the U.S.
Griner said previously that she wanted to play for Team USA again, saying that she would never be going overseas to play “unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics. If I make that team, the would be the only reason I would leave U.S. soil,” reported Sabreena Merchant and other members of The Athletic Staff.
Her previous Olympic performances include a standout 30-point game in the 2020 gold medal match against Japan, establishing her as a dominant force in women’s basketball.
Team USA is set to play exhibitions against Tennessee on Nov. 5 and Duke on Nov. 12. Training camp in Atlanta is set for Nov. 7-9. Brittney Griner is part of a seven-player group who will play in both exhibitions, including other Team USA veterans such as Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu and Azurá Stevens.
Griner’s return to Team USA and the international stage marks a significant moment as she resumes her familiar role, once again wearing No. 15. In the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Team USA members collectively decided not to use No. 15 as a gesture of solidarity for Griner, who had worn that number in her prior stints with the national team.
Her official return to the court was this past May with the Phoenix Mercury. She played in a regular season game in the WNBA for the first time in over a year. She was detained in Russia in February 2022 and released from the country that December.
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