Brittney Griner hits back at being labelled 'anti-American' following Jason Whitlock criticism as she reveals she wanted to join the military

Brittney Griner insists she has never been 'anti-American' despite her previous refusal to acknowledge the US national anthem.

Before her nightmare ordeal in a Russian prison in 2022, Griner controversially protested against the Star-Spangled banner after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by American police officers.

The Phoenix Mercury star refused to stand for the anthem and even suggested it should not be played before WNBA games, a stance which divided opinion throughout the country.

Yet following her 293-day stint as a prisoner in Russia, where she was held February 2022 until December of that year after a vape cartridge containing small amounts of CBD oil was spotted in her bag at an airport, Griner has U-turned on that stance and since opted to stand for the anthem before games.

Controversial sports columnist Jason Whitlock recently claimed the 33-year-old was 'anti-American' before her time in prison, while suggesting she is now repositioning herself to try and fit in with a 'more feminine' WNBA.

Brittney Griner insists she has never been 'anti-American' despite her previous refusal to acknowledge the US national anthem

Before spending time in a Russian prison (pictured) Griner protested against the Star-Spangled Banner and suggested it shouldn't be played before WNBA games 

She has since U-turned on that stance, with controversial sports columnist Jason Whitlock recently branding her 'anti-American' prior to her nightmare ordeal in Russia

Griner, however, has furiously denied such accusations and revealed she was keen to join the US military before her basketball career took off.

'The weirdest thing for me was being labeled non-American or anti-American,' she told former US women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe in an interview for The Cut.

'That one kind of irritates me the most, honestly, because my dad was a legit Marine, Vietnam ’68 to ’69. He fought for our country, then went into law enforcement for 30-plus years. He saw a lot, a lot, especially back then. 

'I came into basketball in ninth grade, so I was a late bloomer in it. Before that, I wanted to go into the military. 

'When everybody asked me “What would you do if you weren’t in basketball?” I would’ve probably been a cop. My life would’ve been way different. And because I’ve protested against police brutality, and all of this, I’m labeled as un-American.

'And I’m like, what? That makes me more American using my right to protest. What do you mean? People die for standing up for their rights in other countries, and we’re lucky enough to be able to fight for our country. And just because I love something doesn’t mean I can’t challenge it. 

But Griner has furiously denied that claim while revealing she wanted to join the military

'In most relationships, if you love something or love somebody, you’re going to challenge them, too, and you’re going to call out bulls**t when you see bulls**t. Hopefully people are mature enough to understand that.'

Griner recently revealed she considered taking her own life multiple times when detained in a Russian prison following her 2022 arrest.

She was freed in a 1-for-1 swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022 that has since been criticized for its failure to return Paul Whelan, a US Marine imprisoned on espionage charges in 2018.

Before she could be released, Griner considered taking her own life with the conditions in the Russian penal colony leaving her feeling 'less than human', she revealed to ABC's to Robin Roberts. 

'I wanted to take my life more than once in those first weeks,' she said in the sit-down interview on 20/20: Prisoner of Russia Wednesday night. 'I felt like leaving here so badly.'

During her conversation with Rapinoe, Griner also opened up about her experience  with hate mail since being released from prison in 2022.

The WNBA star recently admitted she considered taking her own life multiple times in Russia

Griner has received hate mail and been forced to live with a security detail since her release 

'Definitely tried to go back to how things were — going to the store, helping Relle with groceries — but then there were so many different little triggers here and there,' she recalled.

'Our address got leaked so people knew where we lived, and we were getting all this hate mail, really nasty, evil things being sent to the house about me and my wife. We had to go to a safe house for a while, and then we had to sell that house, find a new home. 

'I just wanted to go home to my house, the smells that I remember, the memories, the familiarity. But now I’m uprooted, living out of my suitcases with a security detail. I was a basketball name. People knew me from hooping'.