Brittney Griner Addresses Viral Lip Reading Controversy from Fever Game

Atlanta Dream star Brittney Griner got honest about a moment where she expressed her frustration during a game against the Indiana Fever last month.
Jun 10, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) is guarded by Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jun 10, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner (42) is guarded by Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

During the Atlanta Dream's May 22 loss to the Indiana Fever, star center Brittney Griner went viral for something she said when sitting back down on the bench after fouling out at one point in the game.

The game's broadcast camera followed Griner as she checked out of the game and returned to the Dream bench. She was clearly frustrated and said something while sitting down, and while it's unclear what exactly she said (there was no audio of her speaking), some who tried to read Griner's lips think she called Fever star guard Caitlin Clark "trash" along with other seemingly disrespectful comments.

To be clear, there's proof that Griner said any of these things. It's only what some fans online seemed to latch onto, which then caught fire on social media.

Griner hadn't spoken about this moment until she was asked about it before her team's June 15 game against the Washington Mystics.

"I remember fouling out, being mad. I remember fouling out on, I believe it was [Natasha] Howard driving to the basket. They said I put my hand in," Griner said, per an X post from Dan Zaksheske of Outkick.

Griner was then asked what she said in that moment, and she said, "I really can't remember what I said, honestly." Zaksheske then asked if whether showing her the video of her speaking would help, and Griner said it wouldn't.

It seems that the women's basketball world will never really know what Griner said in that moment, and any stances about it will remain mere speculation.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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