Brittney Griner Claims WNBA Travel Hit ‘Rock Bottom’ When She Was Harassed By Far-Right Troll While Getting on a Commercial Flight

ESPN

WNBA star Brittney Griner believes the harassment she recently faced at an airport is the result of too few travel options available for players.

While traveling at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on June 10, Griner was approached by far-right troll and  YouTuber Alex Stein. With a camera in hand, Stein began accosting her with a series of questions regarding her release from a Russian penal colony. He asked if she thought it was a fair deal that she was involved in a prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Stein even went as far as asking if Griner had sex with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure her release.

Griner remained silent while security guards attempted to shoo Stein away from her.

Speaking with the media on Monday, Griner claimed travel limitations reached “rock bottom” that day.

“I’ll say this. I think we should have already had the option to use a different airline, a more private airline, charter flights,” Griner said. “It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom, because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change … you don’t know what that ‘something’s’ going to be.

“We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s-wait-and-see’ game, you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.”

At the time of the incident, Griner — as well as the rest of the Phoenix Mercury — was flying commercially. The WNBA claims that Griner has had the option to fly privately all year due to her “unique situation,” but sources told ESPN she was just given that privilege in the wake of the incident with Stein.

Currently, WNBA teams fly commercially throughout most of the season. For games played on back-to-back days — and then in the postseason — teams use the public chartering service JSX.

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