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Griner looked emotional when she was introduced
and despite her Phoenix Mercury being the visiting team, saw the
crowd erupt when she hit a 17-foot jumper on her first attempt
of the contest.
"It felt good, it felt real good. It felt like the last time I
played," a smiling Griner said of making the shot after missing
all of last season while detained in Russia for nearly 10
months.
"The love from the fans who came out was amazing," she told
reporters after the game.
"I definitely feel it, and I felt it while I was over there
too."
Outside the arena, Nike billboards displayed a photo of Griner
with the caption "Basketball is Home."
Griner was taken into custody at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport
and subsequently convicted of narcotics possession and
trafficking after she was found to have been carrying vape
cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. She was
subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison.
She said she was prescribed medical cannabis in the United
States for a chronic injury and never intended to break the law.
U.S. officials said she was wrongly detained and was being used
as a political pawn amid increasingly strained relations with
Moscow.
"I appreciate everything a little bit more now," Griner said.
"All the little, small moments. I used to say, oh I'm so tired,
I don't want to go to practice today. I think that has changed.
"I'm just appreciating everything because tomorrow is not
guaranteed. You don't know what it's going to look like."
The two-time Olympic champion, 32, kicked off her 10th season
with the Mercury on Friday after playing in a pre-season game
one week ago.
Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King and Lakers legend Magic
Johnson were among others on hand for the game, which the Sparks
won 94-71.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Jacqueline
Wong)
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