💬 Quoted… “You know what I went through, and everything just means a little bit more to me now.”

Over the weekend, Brittney Griner played in her first two WNBA games since being released from a Russian prison in December following 10 months in custody. And though she already looks to be back in top form – averaging 22.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks over the two contests – one thing was different.

• Since 2020, Griner had elected not to stand for the national anthem to protest racial injustice against Black Americans. But on Friday before her team's opener, she stood as the Star-Spangled Banner played.
• “Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely wanted to stand," she told The Atlantic.

📈 Stat of the Day: The cost of rent in the US has increased by 134.9% since 1999, while wages have grown by 76.8%, per a new report from Moody’s Analytics.

🤯 Did You Know?... Just under half of all Americans (49.6%) say they have no doubt about the existence of God, per a 2022 survey published last week by NORC; that’s down from 60+% prior to 2010.

📖 Worth a Read: Three lessons from Aristotle on friendship → (The Conversation)