When Brittney Griner refused to conform to societal gender norms: "I get more feminine when I’m mad..."

While some may not realize it, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been breaking down barriers and going against the status quo for years now. Back during her time at Baylor, the collegiate standout received quite a bit of attention for her game-changing abilities on the court.

But that wasn't all, Griner also came out. Although the way she sees things, she never felt the need for a formal "coming out announcement." The revelation sparked blowback from Baylor which, at the time, had some pretty aggressive anti-gay rhetoric in their code of conduct for students. The school wanted Griner to keep her personal life, and her sexuality, to herself.

After being drafted first overall in the 2013 draft, Griner quickly set a Phoenix Mercury record, and a WNBA record, by dunking twice in her debut game. Despite everything going on in her life, Griner never conformed to gender norms. According to her, she never felt uncomfortable in her own skin.

While others used hateful terms and belittling titles to put her down, Griner's self-confidence in who she is kept her strong. Shortly after being drafted first overall, Brittney Griner was shadowed for an article from fashion-outlet "Elle" where she spoke about being comfortable in her own skin.

"Hmm, I know I get more feminine when I'm mad," she says, "like I'll roll my neck, like I'm rolling my eyes.

"What's more masculine? I don't know," she continues. "I'm just being myself, honestly. I know society puts it, 'Oh, this is masculine and this is feminine.' I don't put myself in categories."

Above you can see footage from her record-breaking debut game.

Brittney Griner: Breaking barriers and changing the game

Brittney Griner wasn't breaking barriers and changing the game on the court by being one of the most dominant competitors to ever play the game. After being drafted by the WNBA, Griner made waves by declining to attend a makeup and fashion seminar held by the league. The seminar she did attend, however, was one about 401k accounts.

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Women's Basketball Medal Ceremony - Olympics: Day 16

Now that Brittney Griner is back home in the United States following her lengthy detention in Russia, the WNBA star has set her sights on basketball once more. After a controversial prisoner swap for a Russian prisoner dubbed the "Merchant of Death", there was a lot of speculation about whether Griner would play in this upcoming season.

In her first statement since returning home following a sentence of nine years in a Russian penal colony, Brittney Griner stated that she plans to play in the upcoming season. That wasn't all. She also has remained pretty involved with trying to bring other Americans wrongfully detained home as well. In an article written by Meredith Cash for insider.com, Griner said the following:

“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote and posted for me in person soon.”

Below you can see footage of the prisoner swap with Griner and Viktor Bout.

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