Brittney Griner expected to be one of the faces in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics

Playing for the United States on the international stage has always been an honor Brittney Griner holds close, but the upcoming 2024 Olympics will mean even more.

Mirroring the outside attention that Simone Biles received in Tokyo in 2021 and Michael Phelps in Rio in 2016, Griner will be among the biggest storylines for the U.S. heading into the Paris Games.

The Phoenix Mercury star isn’t a stranger to the international spotlight, but since she was arrested and detained by authorities on drug charges after returning to rejoin her Russian team in February 2022, she’s garnered more attention. After being sentenced and held in a Russian penal colony, Griner was freed in a high-profile prisoner-swap exchange in December 2022. 

Considering how intensive the ordeal was to get back to the U.S., Griner made it clear she will avoid playing overseas with the exception of the Olympics.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 2016 and 2021, was among 13 players selected by USA Basketball to train in Atlanta in November for the Paris Olympics. The training camp marked the beginning of a merciless selection process for the national team that will continue on through April.

With it being the first time playing overseas since being detained, it will certainly be an emotional time for Griner and her teammates as the U.S. aims to win its eighth consecutive gold medal.

“That moment, listening to our anthem, watching our flag go up … it’s going to be a lot of emotions,” Griner said last month. “I probably won’t be able to hold that one back. I’ll have to release it, regroup and go out there and perform. But it’s going to be a lot. Very, very, very few people will understand that emotion. I can’t wait for it though. I know that. I’m so ready for it.”

“There were a lot of times a year ago where I didn’t think that I would play ball,” Griner added. “I didn’t think I would ever wear this jersey again. I didn’t know what the future was.”

More: Brittney Griner eager to wear Team USA uniform at 2024 Paris Olympics

When Griner returned home last year, she coped with her traumatic experience in the way she knew how: basketball. Calling the sport her “sanctuary,” Griner recalled longing for when her hardest days were grueling workouts or practices.

There was a short moment of uncertainty when she’d return to the court after spending nearly 300 days in Russian custody, but she returned for the WNBA season opener and played 31 games in the 40-game season.

Even with the obstacles she faced last year, Griner was an All-Star and led the Mercury with 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Griner, however, wasn’t pleased with her performance last season. Most of her criticism came from conditioning after having a short turnaround.

However, her decision to remain in the U.S. this winter will allow her to have her first normal offseason. She also won’t be trying to work her way back to basics as she did last season and can carry over her progress into 2024.

“Being able to take this offseason where I’ve never had before and actually work on myself, my game, body, conditioning,” Griner said at the end of the season. “I can study game and not have to worry about what my team needs from me if I were overseas. I can worry about what I need to do for my team here for the next season this whole offseason.”

Griner's presence could also make a massive impact for what will likely be a younger national team in the Olympics. A healthy Griner in the frontcourt already makes the U.S. even more intimidating, but the morale and passion that she would bring would also boost the group.

The selection process has always been fiercely competitive for the leading nation in women’s basketball, and choosing the team for Paris won’t be an exception.

Diana Taurasi will be in pursuit of her sixth gold medal and was among those invited for November’s training camp roster. The group featured Olympians and young talent, but was still without many of those who played in the WNBA Finals or had overseas commitments.

Given that November’s group, which had an average age of 28.8 years, was trending younger, it will be interesting to see what direction USA Basketball will go. There are several younger players hoping to make their debuts, including guards Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale. Ionescu missed the 2021 Olympic cycle when an ankle injury in her rookie season kept her out of pivotal training camps.

Guard Kelsey Plum, who won gold in the inaugural 3-on-3 event, has a good chance at making the cut as well.

All of this will be overseen by head coach Cheryl Reeve, who spent the last two Olympics as an assistant. Reeve took over after Dawn Staley stepped down from her position following the gold-medal win in 2021.

Reeve already has a great reputation with the players as she’s won four titles with the Minnesota Lynx since 2009. In addition to leading the Lynx, Reeve led the undefeated U.S. squad to its fourth consecutive World Cup title in 2022.

All that remains is the selection process that will occupy the first half of the year. The team will play three games in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium in early February. After that, there will be a training camp during the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland in April.

The WNBA’s monthlong break for the Summer Olympics will run from July 18 to Aug. 14.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Griner expected to be one of the faces in the 2024 Paris Olympics