Brittney Griner left a medical military facility in Texas on Friday. She returned to Arizona, promising in an Instagram post to play in the WNBA this season as she continues her rehabilitation into American life following her incarceration in Russia.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” she wrote in her post. “I dug deep to keep my faith, and the love from so many of you helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
Griner, 32, expressed gratitude to “everyone who pushed for me” and complimented the employees at the Texas military facility where she briefly resided. She also remembered another foreign prisoner in Russia whose release was impossible as part of the prisoner swap that freed her.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she said. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
According to her agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner left San Antonio about 11 a.m. on Friday.
Griner was met by Phoenix Mercury GM Jim Pitman, club president Vince Kozar, and player Diana Taurasi as she boarded the plane. They showed up unexpectedly to welcome her home.
Griner was returning to Arizona, however her representatives did not say where she was going due to security concerns. Griner and her wife, Cherelle, had made preparations to relocate upon her return to the United States.
“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,” Griner said.
After over 300 days in Russian detention, the two-time Olympic gold medallist was released in a prisoner swap last week.
Her incarceration became an international cause after Russian investigators discovered vape cartridges carrying cannabis oil in her luggage at a sensitive period in Washington-Moscow relations. It was declared unlawful confinement by US officials.
She had come to Russia to play WNBA offseason basketball when she was detained on drug smuggling accusations on February 17 at an airport in the Moscow area.
Despite her evidence that she had mistakenly packed the cannabis oil in her baggage, Griner was sentenced to nine years in jail in early August and was sent to a Mordovia republic correctional colony in mid-November after losing her appeal.
The Mercury Center became a pawn in Russia’s war in Ukraine. She returned to the United States on December 9 following a prisoner swap for prominent convicted Russian weapons dealer Viktor Bout.
For months, the US and Russia, which was at war in Ukraine, engaged in a delicate diplomatic dance. In reaction to the war, the United States imposed sanctions, although diplomats maintained contact with Moscow over prisoner talks.
President Joe Biden stated that bringing Griner home required “painstaking and intense negotiations.”
On December 8, a one-for-one prisoner swap took place on a tarmac in Abu Dhabi, like something out of a spy novel.
Griner’s first move on US soil was a dunk on a Texas basketball court.
She returned to the floor with a pair of black Chuck Taylor sneakers, Phoenix Suns shorts, and a T-shirt proclaiming Title IX. Griner was provided a basketball and a hoop months ago in pre-trial custody in Russia, but declined to play, according to Colas.
Griner also had a haircut to fix her “Russian fade,” as her family and friends jokingly referred to it. Her long, characteristic dreadlocks were cut while she was in detention because her wet hair kept freezing.
Nonetheless, her reappearance has been somewhat bittersweet. Griner is sad that Whelan is still arrested, according to her agency.
Whelan is a US, Irish, British, and Canadian citizen being held in a Russian penal colony after being detained on espionage accusations in December 2018, which he disputed. He received a 16-year jail term.
Griner spent a week in Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for routine testing. She lived on the base with her wife in a residential facility. Their living room was decorated with a Christmas tree.
“I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey,” she wrote on Instagram, referring to the staff at the San Antonio base.