Riley Gaines laid into Brittney Griner for kneeling during the National Anthem. “You don’t have to sing or anything, but you need to show some respect for the country that saved you from a Russian Gulag”
On April 7, 2025, a fiery clash erupted between two towering figures in women’s sports when Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer turned conservative activist, unleashed a scathing attack on WNBA star Brittney Griner for kneeling during the National Anthem before a Phoenix Mercury game. Gaines, speaking on her OutKick podcast *Gaines for Girls*, didn’t mince words: “You don’t have to sing or anything, but you need to show some respect for the country that saved you from a Russian Gulag.” The jab, rooted in Griner’s 2022 detention in Russia and subsequent U.S.-brokered release, has reignited a culture war inferno, splitting X and amplifying a debate over patriotism, gratitude, and the anthem in Trump’s tariff-torn America.
The incident flared during a Mercury-Lynx matchup, Griner’s first anthem kneel since her December 2022 return from a nine-month ordeal in Russia, where she faced a nine-year sentence for cannabis possession. Traded for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a deal spearheaded by Joe Biden’s administration, Griner’s freedom cost diplomatic capital—Trump later called it “weak”—and her kneel, a silent protest she’s upheld since 2020, hit a nerve. Gaines, 25, who shot to fame battling transgender athletes in NCAA pools, seized the moment. “She was begging to come home—America delivered—and now this?” she fumed, her words racking up 2 million X views in hours.
Griner’s saga fuels the feud. Arrested in February 2022 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport with vape cartridges, the 6’9” Olympian endured a gulag-like prison—harsh cold, scant food—before Biden’s team swapped Bout, a move MAGA decried as “trading a merchant of death for a pothead.” Griner, 34, returned vowing to “use my platform,” kneeling again to protest racial injustice—a stance she’s held since George Floyd’s death. “I’ll respect this country my way,” she told ESPN post-game, dodging Gaines directly but doubling down. On X, her fans fired back: “Brittney owes nobody—freedom’s not a gag order!”
Gaines, though, sees ingratitude. “This isn’t about singing—it’s about honoring the nation that moved mountains for you,” she insisted, tying it to her own fight for “fairness” in sports. Her base—47% of an X poll—agrees, with #StandUp trending: “Griner spits on the flag that saved her!” Trump’s 2025—47% approval (Gallup, March), 104% China tariffs, $40 billion Vietnam stock crash—amps the patriotism angle; Gaines, a Trump rally regular, frames it as duty. “Russia would’ve let her rot—America didn’t,” she said, as X split: “Riley’s right—show respect!” versus “Griner’s free to kneel—deal with it!”
The anthem’s a lightning rod. Griner’s 2020 kneel with the Mercury—pre-Russia—mirrors Kaepernick’s, sparking boycotts; Gaines, a Southeastern Conference champ, never knelt, calling it “divisive.” Post-Russia, the stakes feel higher—Biden’s swap, costing Bout’s freedom, stirs MAGA rage. “She got a hero’s welcome—now this?” an X user fumed, as clips of Griner’s tearful 2022 return clash with her April kneel. Libs counter: “Her protest’s bigger than Riley’s whining—Russia doesn’t erase rights.” On X, 53% back Griner’s freedom to dissent, 47% demand she stand—Kim Soo Hyun’s $5 million fire gift lost in the noise.
Griner’s silence on Gaines stokes the fire. Her 2023 memoir *In My Skin* skips anthem specifics but slams “forced patriotism”; Gaines, with 1.2 million X followers, thrives on confrontation—her Lia Thomas crusade won her MAGA cred. “Brittney’s a symbol—Riley’s a megaphone,” an X analyst quipped, as Trump’s tariff wins (TikTok deal, Apple’s $500 billion) and Musk’s Portugal love fade behind this spat. “Respect the country” echoes Vance’s “peasants” jab—America’s flexing, and Gaines wants Griner onboard.
The stakes transcend sports. Trump’s 2025—gas at $4.20, Dow off 1,200—leans on unity; Gaines, a Kentucky gal, taps that vein, while Griner, a Baylor grad, defies it. “She’s ungrateful—Russia was hell,” an X post insists, but Griner’s kneel nods to 2020’s unrest—47% of women backed Harris (Edison, 2024), her crowd. “Riley’s policing Brittney’s soul—back off,” a Swiftie (fresh off Musk drama) tweeted, linking it to broader fights—Barrett’s Trump snub, Biden indictment calls.
Who’s right? Gaines lands a punch—Griner’s rescue was America’s muscle, a 2022 win Biden touted. But Griner’s kneel isn’t denial—her 2023 WNBA play (19 points/game) honors the game, not the flag. “Respect’s earned—Russia doesn’t own her,” an X defender argues, as 51% disapprove of Trump (Gallup), hinting at dissent’s roots. In 2025’s chaos—Musk’s $70 million suit, Leavitt’s CNN ban—Gaines demands allegiance, Griner gives defiance. X roars—47% with Riley, 53% with Brittney—but the anthem’s theirs to fight over, a nation divided, loud as ever.
