Brittney Griner speaks out after release from Russia: ‘So good to be home’
- The US basketball star vowed to play again for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, after being freed in a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout
- Griner also said she would do what she could to help secure the release of Paul Whelan, another American held in Russia
US basketball star Brittney Griner said on Friday in her first remarks since being released from a Russian prison that it was “so good to be home” and vowed to play again for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
The 32-year-old Griner, in an Instagram post, thanked a long list of people for securing her release with a “special thank you” to US President Joe Biden.
“It feels so good to be home!” Griner said. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going.”
A two-time Olympic gold medallist, WNBA champion and LGBTQ trailblazer, Griner was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport in February, against a backdrop of soaring tensions over Ukraine.
Griner – who was swapped last week for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer – said she would do what she can to help secure the release of Paul Whelan, another American held in Russia.