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Brittney Griner was the target of the “inappropriate and unfortunate” actions of a “social media personality and provocateur” at the Dallas airport on Saturday, according to the WNBA.
It’s unclear exactly what incident the WNBA is referring to, but social media personality Alex Stein posted to Twitter on Saturday, claiming the WNBA was “(writing) press releases about me,” along with a excerpt from his personal interaction with Griner.
Stein was walking alongside Griner and other team members at the airport when he asked Griner why she “hates” and “always wants to boycott” America.
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Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on May 19, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Security pushed Stein away, then another team member called him “weird.”
“Am I weird? Why? She hates America,” Stein replied.
“What about the Merchant of Death, Brit?” asked Stein, referring to Viktor Bout, whom the United States sent back to Russia in exchange for Griner returning to the United States from a Russian prison.
Griner was criticized for once kneeling for the national anthem, but upon her return to the WNBA this season, she changed her mind, saying she “definitely (wanted) to stand“.
“Hearing the national anthem, it really hit home differently,” Griner said after his return. “It’s like when you go to the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold on your neck, the flags go up and the anthem goes. It just sounds different.”
The Mercury franchise is “looking into the incident.”
Dallas Wings center Kalani Brown, left, falls backwards while defending against Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner (42) during the second half of a WNBA game on June 7, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutiérrez)
“The health and well-being of our players and staff is our top priority, and we will always take every step in our power to protect player safety,” the team said. said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting BG and defending all American hostages abroad. We will continue to support marginalized communities and fight against the type of hatred that targets us today. No one, regardless of their identity, should ever fear for their safety. We will coordinate with the WNBA on the next steps.”
“Prior to the season, the WNBA worked with the Phoenix Mercury and BG team to ensure their safety during their travel, which included charter flights to WNBA games, and assigned security personnel with them at all times.” the WNBA said. “We remain firmly committed to the highest standards of safety for our players.”
Brittney Griner (42) of the Phoenix Mercury is congratulated for a game against the Seattle Storm in the first half of the second round of the WNBA basketball playoffs on September 26, 2021, in Everett, Washington (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
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The Mercury played in Dallas against the Wings on Friday night, losing 90-77 to fall to 1-5 on the season.
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