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- 7 heartwarming Brittney Griner quotes from her first presser
7 heartwarming Brittney Griner quotes from her first presser
Plus, Hailey Van Lith makes her transfer announcement
Matt Ellentuck
April 27, 2023
Hello, friend
Here are today’s must-reads:
Now, let’s get to why you opened the email.
🏀 Brittney Griner’s first press conference 🏀
On Thursday morning in Phoenix, BG gave her first in-person public statements and took media questions just days before the start of training camp. Dressed in a Mercury shirt with the logo for the “Bring Our Families Home Campaign,” the star answered about 30 minutes worth of questions that evoked smiles, laughs, and some tears.
1. She explained how she found the resilience to return
"I'm no stranger to hard times... You're gonna be faced with adversities throughout your life, this was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work, getting through it."
Brittney Griner on her resilience to withstand the detention in Russia
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp)
4:35 PM • Apr 27, 2023
2. She’s not going to play overseas ever again, unless it’s to represent Team USA at the Olympics
Brittney Griner on whether she plans to go overseas to play basketball in the future:
“I’m never going overseas to play again unless I’m representing my country at the Olympics.”
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina)
4:52 PM • Apr 27, 2023
3. She will continue to advocate for other detainees
Brittney Griner said that she will not stop advocating for other American detainees, and wants to give them hope.
— M.A. Voepel (@MAVoepel)
4:29 PM • Apr 27, 2023
4. She’s working hard to get her body back into All-Star shape
Brittney Griner said the first two weeks to a month of re-acclimating herself to basketball were hard and she thought, "Do I really want to do this this early?" But she's made good progress since and believes she can return to her previous level of play for @PhoenixMercury.
— M.A. Voepel (@MAVoepel)
4:39 PM • Apr 27, 2023
5. She thanked media for their coverage of her during her detainment
"Thank y'all for covering me and all the exposure that you gave me, my family to get me home... I expect to see the same coverage because we have a great product."
Brittney Griner opened up her press conference by thanking the media 👏
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp)
5:02 PM • Apr 27, 2023
6. She called Diana Taurasi a “walking fossil" 💀
"Playing with [Diana Taurasi], who wouldn't want to play with a walking fossil?! No, I'm playing. She's gonna kill me."
Brittney Griner has jokes for her Phoenix Mercury teammate 🤣
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp)
4:50 PM • Apr 27, 2023
7. She thanked her wife, Cherelle, for all her hard work getting her home
Brittney Griner thanks her wife, Cherelle, at the start of her press conference. “She had the hardest job, honestly.” During BG’s wrongful detainment, Cherelle worked tirelessly to keep this conversation at the forefront, her enduring love instrumental in BG’s return home.
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich)
4:34 PM • Apr 27, 2023
This was a wonderful conference, and I can’t wait to see BG out there again on the court in just three weeks.
🏀 The college basketball champs got another superstar 🏀
Oh dear, the national champion LSU Tigers just added a two-time ACC All-First team player who averaged 19.7 points per game last year. Women’s college basketball fans, welcome to your newest super team era.
Hailey Van Lith announced her transfer on Thursday after being listed as a “do not contact” prospect. She knew where she wanted to go, and made her choice quickly.
Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese tweeted a cryptic emoji on the day Van Lith officially visited campus, and that all but assured what was to come.
It’s also important to note that Baylor, the program LSU coach Kim Mulkey led at the time, was in Van Lith’s final two schools before she ultimately chose Louisville. This pairing was a long time coming.
🏆 2024 women’s college basketball championship odds🏆
After Van Lith’s committment announcement, LSU officially became the odds favorite to win the 2024 title, overtaking the UConn Huskies.
The Tigers held the second-highest odds to win the tournament at +600 (bet $10 to win $60) prior to her commitment, and have since been moved to +450. UConn has +600 odds, and Iowa has +750 odds.
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