Brittney Griner is never shy about expressing frustration during a game, but drawing a line at personal disrespect is where she stands firm.
For the record, Griner says she didn’t say what some people thought she said. And many of those people are not expert lip readers, so that influences their opinion.
In case you missed it, on May 23, during a heated matchup between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever, tensions ran high as Griner fouled out late in the game. After the whistle, cameras caught her visibly upset as she walked to the bench, and a brief clip of her venting quickly went viral.
Some online users speculated she had said either “f**king trash” or “f**king white girl” with many assuming the remark was directed at rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. Again, they are not expert lip readers. Copy? Great.
Here’s how Jamele Hill saw it. And we agree.
Now Griner is speaking up and setting the record straight. When asked about the clip during a media session on June 15, she admitted she remembered being angry but didn’t recall the exact words she used in the heat of the moment.
“I remember fouling out, being mad. I really can’t remember what I said, honestly,” she explained.
Some reporter then directly asked if she had made a racially charged comment during that moment. Griner responded firmly. “No.”
Get this, she went on to clarify, “Would never say that. Like, there’s no place for that in our league. I wouldn’t say that. I was mad about the call. I know it wasn’t that because I wouldn’t use that type of language.”