WNBA Star Griner Knifed in Odd China Attack

Man followed players onto bus, ranting
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Suggested by pg13
Posted Nov 5, 2014 12:48 PM CST
WNBA Star Griner Knifed in Odd China Attack
In this Oct. 5, 2014, file photo, Laura Nicholls of Spain, left, and Brittney Griner of the United States fight for the ball during a basketball championship game in Istanbul, Turkey.   (Uncredited)

WNBA star Brittney Griner felt fortunate to be OK after getting cut on the elbow in a knife attack in China. The 6-foot-8-inch Griner sustained a small cut when she was attacked by a man while boarding a bus after practice Monday in Shenyang. The man, who followed the players onto the bus, also stabbed one of Griner's teammates. She was wearing two jackets and wasn't injured because the knife didn't go through. "I was thinking I was going to end up stabbed in China and if he got to us at the back of the bus, I was going to have to fight this man with a knife," Griner says in an email.

The man was yelling as he chased the players onto the bus. Griner says he left the scene and then returned covered in blood and was apprehended by Chinese authorities (TMZ has video here). "The guy was clearly either mentally ill or very drunk," Griner says; a local newspaper had few other details of the incident other than alleging that the attacker was drunk. "He was yelling about us hitting his wife and it was pretty clear he had no idea who we were." Despite the incident, Griner said she still feels safe in China. "The game the next day had more security than I had ever seen," she says. Griner had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks in last night's win over Liaoning Hengye; in September, Griner helped the Phoenix Mercury win a championship. "We are thankful Brittney and her teammates are all OK after this incident," the Mercury tweeted. (More Brittney Griner stories.)

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