WNBA star Brittney Griner has opened up on her ordeal in Russia more than a year after she was released from jail as part of a prisoner swap.
The 33-year-old Phoenix Mercury center was detained at a Russian airport on February 17, 2022, after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her possession while she was returning to the country to play during the WNBA’s offseason. The substance, which is illegal in Russia, ultimately saw her sentenced to nine years in prison.
She ended up spending close to one year before she was released.
Griner detailed the harrowing experience in an exclusive sitdown with Robin Roberts on ‘Good Morning America’. The full interview will air on May 1, but a preview is available online and can be seen below.
“I was just so scared for everything because there’s so much unknown,” she told Roberts.
Asked what she was thinking when she realized she had cartridges in her luggage, Griner admitted she thought her life was over.
“My life is over right here,” she said.
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Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, insisting she did not intend to break the country’s laws and that the cartridges had been packed by accident.
The United States considered her “wrongfully detained,” classifying her case as that in May 2022, and began working on a plan to get her home.
Brittney Griner Details Russian Experience In An Upcoming Book
Brittney Griner was transferred to a penal colony in Mordovia after her sentencing. She claims she felt less than human, given the conditions therein.
“The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human,” she recalled.
The nine-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist announced via ‘GMA’ that she is set to release a book titled ‘Coming Home’.
“‘Coming Home’ begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets,” she said in a statement. “But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”
The book is set for launch on May 7.
