'So good to be home': Brittney Griner speaks out for first time since return to US from Russian prison
WASHINGTON, DC: WNBA star Brittney Griner spoke out for the first time since her prison release from Russia. Griner landed back on US soil on Friday morning, December 9 after 10 months of being held in a Russian penal colony and was released as part of a high-profile exchange for a notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout on Thursday, December 8.
On December 16, Griner took to Instagram to share a 'thank you' post talking about her return and her struggles in the prison. She wrote "It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn."
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"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," she wrote at the beginning of her post where she shared pictures of her finally landing back home and hugging her wife Cherelle Griner months after the release.
Expressing gratitude to everyone involved in helping her prison release and safe return to her home, she thanked the Biden administration and wrote "President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. 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."
"As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey," wrote the 32-year-old basketballer.
Announcing her return to play in WNBA in 2023, the player wrote, "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.
Since 2014, the two-time Olympic gold medalist had played professionally in Russia. In February 2022, the basketball star was arrested for drug charges in Russia after she was reportedly caught carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil at a Moscow airport. After the release, she landed in Texas last week following the prisoner swap deal, reports MEAWW.