Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and star center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has made her first public statement since being freed by Russia. Griner, who was incarcerated in Russia after being accused of smuggling cannabis in her luggage upon arrival at a Moscow airport in February, pled guilty to the charges in a Russian court back in April. Surprising absolutely no one, Russia found Griner guilty—and then sentenced her to nine years in prison in August. Griner appealed, lost, and was moved to a penal colony in Mordovia.
It was…. bleak.
There was a period where no one was certain where Griner was actually being held. Her wife, Cherelle Griner, struggled to get in touch with her. Fans, teammates, and advocates sounded alarm bells: Bring Brittney home. Griner, who was only in Russia because she (like many women athletes) played the Russian circuit to earn extra money in the off-season, was pretty much used as political collateral from the start. Even U.S. officials declared her detention as “unlawful.”
It’s unfair, it’s evil, and if you ask me, it absolutely has to do with the fact that she is an openly queer Black woman who happened to be at Putin’s mercy at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia were, to put it delicately, particularly strained.
And now, thanks to a prisoner swap, Britney is home in the United States—and she’s pledging to return to the court this season.
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Griner landed in San Antonio, Texas, after her flight home from Russia. She stayed at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base for one week of routine supervision and is now permitted to return home to Arizona, though CNN reports she is keeping her exact location private for security concerns.
"I also want to make one thing very clear," Griner wrote in an Instagram post shared on Friday, Dec. 15. "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."
Griner described her time in Russia as a “battle at every turn,” which I feel must be putting it lightly. She expressed that she “dug deep” to keep her faith alive and credits the love and support from folks back home to help her keep going.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she included in her post, adding that she intends to use her platform to help bring other Americans home. “Every family deserves to be whole,” she added.
In an interview with NPR, Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas told the outlet that Griner is doing well. Colas says Griner is “benefiting” from the “resources” the government has provided her and that she’s moving onto the next step of “reintegration.”
According to BuzzFeed News, this includes Griner participating in a program called the Department of Defense’s Post Isolation Support Activities, which (generally speaking) supports military personnel who are recovering from long-term detentions overseas. The idea is that folks (understandably) need and deserve support while reacclimating to life back home.
According to Colas, Griner has actually already gotten herself back on the basketball court, and it’s been her “choice” to do so. In speaking to CNN, Colas said Griner was offered a basketball and hoop in her pre-trial detention but declined. Since she’s been back on U.S. soil, however, Colas said Griner’s already dunked.
Griner’s story is one filled with relief, and it’s great to hear her spirits are good, but her trauma is really unimaginable for most of us. She needs and deserves thorough mental health support and reintegration services; it seems she’s committed to doing that work and returning to the life she’s built, and that’s excellent.
Griner seems (understandably) excited to get back into the game in just a few short months, but even if she doesn’t—for whatever reason—that’s perfectly okay. Her mental health, wellness, and safety matter more. Griner’s already an inspiration, just by living as who she is.
