Brittney Griner: podcast appearances and interviews

Brittney Yvette Griner, born October 18, 1990, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Vinyl of Unrivaled. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star. Recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023, Griner was named the nation's No. 1 high school women's basketball player by Rivals.com in 2009 and was selected to the 2009 All-American basketball team. During her college career with the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas, she had a breakout junior year in 2012, earning titles such as AP Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and winning the National Championship. She also received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award and became the only NCAA basketball player to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots. Professionally, Griner was the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, with whom she won the 2014 WNBA championship. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, she is known for her exceptional reach and size. Griner led the U.S. team to victory at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and again secured gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her career includes victories in the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2014 and 2018. In 2022, Griner was detained in Russia on smuggling charges related to medically prescribed hash oil; she was sentenced to nine years in prison but was exchanged for a Russian arms dealer in December 2022 and returned to play in the WNBA in May 2023.