Diana Taurasi Makes Her Opinion Of Brittney Griner's Olympic Return Extremely Clear

Diana Taurasi couldn't be any happier for her Phoenix Mercury and USA teammate Brittney Griner after the center made it back to the Olympics.

Griner never thought that she would get a chance to represent the nation again, not after she was imprisoned in Russia back in 2022 with little hope of getting out. The WNBA All-Star herself admitted that having hope was a "dangerous" thing and that there were times she had accepted her fate on foreign soil.

Fortunately, Griner was released after 10 months via a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia. She was able to return to playing basketball again, paving her way to suit up for USA Basketball in the Olympics.

After Griner participated in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday, Taurasi couldn't help but reflect on the adversity that her teammate had to go through to be where she is today. The WNBA icon shared that she knows how grateful Griner is for the opportunity.

"What BG has gone through in the last couple of years is obviously unprecedented . For her to be able to put this jersey back on, to be at Opening Ceremonies last night. … I know she feels grateful, thankful," Diana Taurasi said, via Yahoo Sports.

USA women's basketball starts Olympic action on Monday against Japan. Certainly, plenty of eyes will be on Brittney Griner as she looks to help the squad maintain its dominance in the Summer Games.

Related: Indiana Fever Star Aliyah Boston Drops Truth About Helping Caitlin Clark