Brittney Griner goes in-depth on her jersey retirement, impact on women's basketball

Former Baylor superstar Brittney Griner was honored with her jersey being retired on Sunday afternoon in an emotional ceremony, and the standout women’s basketball star joined ESPN in a special interview with Holly Rowe to talk about the occasion.

She shared what it was like being back on campus for the occasion.

“I felt like I was coming back from Big 12 Media Day,” Griner said. “I mean it was like I was right back on campus again. Overwhelming a little bit. I think I said, ‘I’m home,’ and it really felt like that being back in Waco, even though Waco has changed a lot.”

Griner watched, nearly in tears, as her No. 42 jersey was hoisted into the rafters as the team got set to host Texas Tech.

The entire experience had to feel overwhelming, to a certain extent.

“It’s been amazing. The turnout so far has just been nothing but love,” Griner said. “And just seeing everybody’s face, when I walked in that room I immediately started pointing out everybody that I used to talk with and just share special little moments with that were always supporting us. It just touched me because those are the moments that you make when you’re in college.”

Brittney Griner’s career was the stuff of legend. She reached the Final Four as a freshman, then later won a national championship with a perfect 40-0 season.

She finished her college career as a four-team All-Big 12 first-team honoree, was an All-American multiple times and earned national player of the year honors twice.

She holds the Big 12 women’s basketball record for most points scored (3,283), field goals made (1,247), free throws made (787), free throws attempted (1,054) and blocks (748).

Rowe asked Griner to reflect on all that.

“You described it perfectly, it was literally like a storm coming through,” Griner said. “It was just so many things. Going to the Final Four my freshman year in San Antonio, we had the upset with UConn. We came back, we learned from that, and then it just kept going from there. 40-0. The year of the Bear, when every sport was just thriving on campus and that energy was electric.”

Brittney Griner has been a huge role model for others with aspirations of pursuing women’s basketball as a career, much in the way that a superstar like Caitlin Clark is today.

She was drawing massive crowds more than a decade ago, the focal point of the sport at the collegiate level. That’s the lasting impact she’ll have.

“I vividly remember a TCU game and we came out the arena and I was going to the bus, the team was ahead of me, and I got like just mobbed,” Griner said. “And I was in the center and it was nothing but just purple around me. Little girls, little boys, grown-ups. It was the first time where I was like, ‘Oh wow, I must be doing something right.’ We’re all doing something right right now because the turnout.

“And being in the city and people coming up to me and just saying, giving me little snippets of what I’ve done that I didn’t even know I did for their daughter, their son, their niece, their mom. That’s when you start to realize the impact you’ve had.”

Brittney Griner has certainly had an amazing impact over the years. Today’s jersey retirement ceremony only highlighted that fact.