Brittney Griner has finally touched U.S soil for the first time since likely early February.
Griner was detained on Feb. 17 after the Russian authorities accused her of carrying hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. Griner was traveling to Russia to rejoin her professional team, UMMC Yekaterinburg, which she played for during the WNBA offseason. She was sentenced to nine years in prison following a weeks-long trial.
Back in July, news broke that the Biden administration had offered a prisoner swap with Russia to secure the release of both Griner and American prisoner Paul Whelan. Nothing ever came of it until this week, but only Griner would be released as Russia refused to have Whelan part of any deal.
On Friday morning, a video showed Griner getting off the plane after the US traded an arms dealer to Russia to secure her release.
In the WNBA off-season, the Phoenix Mercury star plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian basketball team based in the city of Yekaterinburg that competes in the Russian Premier League and FIBA Europe’s EuroLeague Women.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral WNBA stories via Google! Follow Us
She will likely never return after what she had to endure.
