A week after her release from a Russian penal colony, WNBA star Brittney Griner said on social media Friday that she “intends to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season.”
In her first public comments since she was part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, Griner added that in returning to play, she looked forward to “being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”
Griner also thanked President Biden and the State Department, plus her family and friends, for their support.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” Griner wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Griner, an eight-time WNBA all-star center and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 and sentenced to nine years in prison after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Griner admitted she had the canisters in her luggage but testified she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent.
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Griner was exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” was serving a 25-year sentence at a federal prison in Illinois.
In her emotional post, Griner added: “It feels so good to be home! 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. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
