The two-time gold medallist will be attending the Olympic training camp and two exhibitions, the U.S. Basketball team announced on Thursday. This is the next step toward securing her spot on the team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Following her incarceration in Russia for the majority of the previous year, the Phoenix Mercury star is pursuing her third gold medal.
The November 2023 🇺🇸 #USABWNT roster is here!
16 athletes, including seven Olympians, will participate in the Nov. 7-9 training camp in Atlanta.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) October 26, 2023
The announcement was made public via the official X (previously known as Twitter) account of the U.S.A. Basketball Women’s National Team. “The #USABWNT November 2023 roster is here! 🌺🇸 The statement stated that 16 athletes, including seven Olympians, will take part in the training camp in Atlanta from November 7–9.
The full roster, which includes Griner, Ariel Atkins, Aliyah Boston, Kahleah Copper, Allisha Gray, Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Angel McCoughtry, Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum, Azurá Stevens, Diana Taurasi, and Jackie Young, was included in the photo that went with the post.
The Olympian was questioned about if she would ever play basketball abroad after her release in December 2022.
“I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics,” Griner replied. “If I make that team, I would only ever leave the country to represent the United States,” the player said.
In 2014, Griner made his debut for the senior national team of the United States. She went on to compete for the United States in two World Cups and the Olympic competitions in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
While she was detained in Russia, colleagues Brionna Jones and Shakira Austin took over as the center during the FIBA 2022 World Cup. Her colleagues did not wear Griner’s No. 15 jersey while she was being held in custody, believing she would soon get it back.
On February 9, 2020, Brittney Griner of the United States participated in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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Griner’s detention started on February 17, 2022, when she was found to have vape cartridges containing hash oil—a chemical that is forbidden in the nation—in her luggage. As a result, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug smuggling. On December 8, she was freed in a prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, and the following day, she came back to the United States.
She returned to the WNBA for the July All-Star Game and announced that she is writing a new memoir since her release. Throughout the game, she scored eighteen points and slammed down two dunks, helping her side win 143-127.
