U.S. Olympic basketball star Brittney Griner ready to represent 'the country that fought for me to come back'

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take on a particularly special meaning for Brittney Griner.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take on a particularly special meaning for Brittney Griner.

The WNBA star will be competing for her country for the third time in Paris — and the first time since she was detained in Russia on drug charges for nearly 10 months in 2022.

“BG is locked in and ready to go,” Griner told NBC News on Friday. “I’m happy, I’m in a great place. I’m representing my country, the country that fought for me to come back. I’m gonna represent it well.”

Griner will also be competing in Paris for the first time as a parent. She and her wife had a son, Bash, on July 8. Griner isn’t thrilled to be leaving him so soon, but said since he’s growing up in a sports family, one day he’ll understand. 

Read more on this story at NBCNews.com and watch “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/olympics-brittney-griner-basketball-rcna162763

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