Top 70 Brittney Griner Quotes

Everybody knows we make more money overseas.

People called me a dude and said there was no way I could be a woman. Some even wanted me to prove it to them. During high school and college, when we traveled for games, people would shout the same things while also using racial epithets and terrible homophobic slurs.

I have seen some horrible stuff said about me.

I would wake up every day, and put on a pair of shoes, never thinking about what it would be like to go without. After seeing people walking the streets of Phoenix, without anything on their feet, I knew I had to do something to help.

If you ever need a pillow, I can make you a pillow.

You don’t turn the cheek. I was always taught you turn your head at somebody coming after you, you’re going to get hit in the back of the head or worse.

I’m a different player. I’m a different person – large feet, big hands.

You always have those people who are very opinionated – and I thank them soooo much for their opinions.

Just as basketball doesn’t define who I am, neither does being gay.

We’re given this platform and this voice and this audience. We can either use it for ourselves or we can use it to bring awareness to issues that are going on in the world. I’m definitely on the side of using that microphone for good because you can touch so many people.

Offense is great, but defense wins championships.

I’ve learned how to be stronger but also when and when not to use a lot of energy.

People are either going to accept me for who I am or they’re not. I don’t know what people think I’m hiding. I’ve heard, ‘Oh, she’s not a female, she’s a male.’

Not having a safe zone or people to talk to or be around others in the same position is toughest thing ever.

Short shorts are not for everybody.

I want to go as hard as I can, and if I look like a guy out there playing ball, well, hey, I feel sorry for the opponent.

I’ll keep playing ’til the doctor tells me I can’t play. I’m going to be Brett Favre: ‘Yeah, I’m retiring… Naah, I’m coming back!’

I’m an outdoor person. You’ll always see me outdoors – mountain biking, going to the park, going outside throwing the football. I love being on the water. I go canoeing, kayaking, anything really. I like extreme sports too. ATVs, dirt bikes. I am a country girl. Fishing, hunting, hog hunting.

I want to show off how big I am; I want to show off my long arms, my big hands – just loving myself.

Defensive player of the year is MVP in my book.

When I went to Baylor on a basketball scholarship – and when I thought about the future as a freshman – one achievement I wanted more than any individual award was a national championship.

If I wasn’t playing basketball, I’d be helping people.

I think I can be great.

I love the freedom that comes with being an adult. No one’s telling you what to do, nothing’s planned out. You know what you have to do, you can get to practice two hours before or walk in at the last second.

I’m not playing for any other organization. I’m Phoenix Mercury until I’m done.

Growing up, I always got ‘She’s a man,’ or ‘She plays too hard,’ or ‘There’s just no way that she can be that good because, you know, a girl can’t do that.’ And I struggle with it a little bit. I’m like: Well, am I going too hard? And then I just realized, like, I’m a competitor.

On an off-day I’d rather not watch SportsCenter or basketball. I’d rather go longboard, jet ski, do something extreme-sport-wise, watch racin’.

I never cross my legs.

I’m just being myself, honestly. I know society puts it, Oh, this is masculine and this is feminine. I don’t put myself in categories.

I don’t really feel the pressure when people say, ‘You’re changing the game, you’ve gotta keep doing it.’ I feel like I’m adding on. Lisa Leslie dunked, that inspired me to dunk. Candace Parker dunked.

College is the best days, and I can actually say it is.

I’m cool with people that play physical.

People say the league is changing and they say your name – it lets you know you’re doing something right.

I would love to be an ambassador for Baylor, to show my school pride, but it’s hard to do that – it’s hard to stand up and say, ‘Baylor is the best!’ – when the administration has a written policy against homosexuality.

My dad is military and law enforcement.

I’m not the only female that wears men’s clothes, so I’m not one in a million.

Footwork is the foundation to my offensive game. Being able to move, pivot around and dribble better were the big things I wanted to add to my game, as well as stretching out my game so I can shoot away from the basket better.

Just to know I have so many fans out there buying my jersey means a lot. It means I’m doing something right.

I always say I don’t want to change the game – just add to it.

When I’m on the court, I’m not thinking of anything. I’m just playing and free.

I’ve always been really open about my sexuality and who I am. I never thought a big coming out was necessary.

When I was a rookie, I had to shag balls out of the stands. It was my rookie duty.

I think snakes are misunderstood. Everyone is scared of them. I can really relate to them.

I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women’s basketball.

When I’m not playing basketball I could be doing a lot of things. Honestly, I could sit on the couch, kick my feet up, play some video games – some ‘Modern Warfare.’

It’s taken me a long time to figure out exactly where I fit. During that journey, I realized that everyone has a unique place in this world.

Don’t hide who you really are.

I was always told, ‘If you’re gay, your career is going to fail.’

I got called a boy all the time. Going into the bathroom, I still get the shocked look, like, ‘Are you supposed to be in here?’ But I’m so used to it now, I’m just like, ‘I’m a girl, I’m in the right bathroom.’

When I go into a sports bar, some of the people I wouldn’t think would watch women’s basketball are there watching.

When I first came into the league, I didn’t want the ball in my hands.

I think more people should be open to talking about mental health issues. Instead of holding in so much.

I don’t say that I’m the best in the country, because I always criticize myself so hard. There are so many things I can say are wrong with my game, and someone can sit there and say, ‘Well no, this, this and this are good.’ I’m just hard on myself.

I had somebody say to me, ‘You should play more ladylike.’ This is basketball. I’m supposed to go out there and, ‘Oh, I broke my nail,’ or ‘Oh, you hit me?’

Basketball is my safe haven.

When I first started playing basketball, my coordination was horrible! I went into high school at 6 feet and left at 6-7 and then grew another inch in college. Catching the ball, it was bad. I’ve always been pretty athletic, but when I got really tall, I just felt awkward.

I first came out to my mom in the ninth grade.

I didn’t grow up wanting to play basketball. I grew up wanting to enlist and then go into law enforcement.

I’m used to having two or three people around me every time I get the ball.

Defense is my favorite part of the game and what I want to be known for.

I’ve learned to love myself.

Don’t worry about what other people are going to say, because they’re always going to say something, but, if you’re just true to yourself, let that shine through.

I stand out in the world and I love that about myself.

Seeing how hard Diana Taurasi works in practice has been amazing. She takes it to another level and is basically another coach on the floor.

I want to be part of a dynasty. I think it would be pretty cool to be known as the team to reckon with.

When I first came out, I kinda overdid it. I dressed extremely older-boyish, like sagging, and big shirt and big jeans. I was just like, ‘I’m gonna go extreme.’ And then as I got older, the baggy clothes got a little more fitting to my body, but still masculine.

We don’t talk about things, and in certain communities we really don’t talk about our feelings. It’s just, ‘Put it in a box and forget about it, push it to the back.’ That’s something I think has hurt us as a society.

Hmm, I know I get more feminine when I’m mad, like I’ll roll my neck, like I’m rolling my eyes.

I’m comfortable in my body and I don’t mind putting it on display. Honestly, I like how unique it is. My big arms, my bigger hands, these long legs – I love being different.

I used to do the whole baggy, hard-core, I’m-a-boy look. Then I went through a preppy phase.