The battle to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home has come to a fortunate ending for Americans. Griner has been in Russian custody since February 2022; she was sentenced to serve nine years in a Russian prison due to drug charges. Griner is a remarkably successful WNBA star who has played for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013. In an article on ESPN’s website (ESPN.com), Boston Celtics player Grant Williams is quoted as having said that “She’s been a vital part of the WNBA over years past, college, and in the amount of impact she’s had on young female athletes, USA and overseas.” Prior to going professional, she made history as a college basketball player at Baylor University, setting the all-time-single-season record for blocked shots in her first year. Since 2014, she has played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg women’s basketball team during her off-season. 

President Joe Biden confirmed her release via Twitter on December 8, 2022: “Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home.” Griner was arrested at Moscow airport while she was in the country playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season. The Russian authorities declared that the athlete was carrying hashish oil in her luggage; however, news of her arrest did not emerge until several weeks after it had happened. Customs officials for the country stated that they had opened a criminal case under “the large-scale transportation of drugs,” as explained in an article on The New York Times’ website (NYTimes.com), carrying a sentence of up to ten years in prison in Russia. After news of her arrest and detention got out on March 5, 2022, people were able to connect her detention to Russia’s history of holding U.S. citizens as political prisoners. Charles Reis, junior, noted that he thinks the situation with Griner doesn’t even revolve around the details of her case; rather, he believes it has more to do with Russia wanting to oppose the U.S. Initially, U.S officials were hesitant to make any hostile moves on Griner’s behalf because of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. But in May 2022, the State Department declared that the Phoenix Mercury player had been “wrongfully detained,” according to an ESPN article titled, “U.S. Reclassifies WNBA Star Brittney Griner as ‘Wrongfully Detained’ by Russia” (ESPN.com).  This meant that officials could start right away in their negotiations for her release rather than waiting until her next Russian court hearing. 

In July 2022, Griner wrote a letter to Biden, pleading for help in bringing her home. “(As) I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” she wrote, as quoted in a CNN article titled, “‘I’m terrified I might be here forever’: Brittney Griner Pens Handwritten Letter to Biden” (CNN.com). “I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.” She also emphasized her father’s military service in the letter and expressed, according to the CNN article, “On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.” Biden responded by calling Cherelle–Griner’s wife–to discuss the case. He then sent a letter to Griner to reassure her that they are going to do what they can to send her home. Another article on CNN’s website (CNN.com) titled, “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Sentenced to Nine Years in Russian Jail for Drug-Smuggling,” explains how, during her court hearing, the athlete said, “I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here, I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it does not end my life here. I know everybody keeps talking about political pawns and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom.”

Victoria Martinez, junior, said, “I feel sympathy for Brittney Griner. The whole thing seems to be an honest mistake, and I do not think she ever meant any harm. It’s sad that it has taken a while to bring her home and that she has had to be away from her family for months, but I am joyful to know that she is back home and can return to her normal life and can go back to doing what she loves in the WNBA.”

In December 2022, President Joe Biden announced that Brittney Griner had been freed from Russian custody. The Biden administration negotiated the athlete’s release in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. “These past few months have been hell for Brittney and Cherelle,” Biden said, as quoted on The White House’s website (WhiteHouse.gov). “People all across the country have learned about Brittney’s story, advocated for her release, stood with her throughout this terrible ordeal.  And I know that support meant a lot to her family. I’m glad to be able to say that Brittney is in good spirits.  She — she’s relieved to finally be heading home.” According to The White House’s website, Biden said that Brittney represents “the best about America” and continued, “She wrote to me back in July.  She didn’t ask for special treatment, even though we’ve been working on her release from the day one.  She requested a simple quote, ‘Please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees.  Please do all you can to bring us home.’ We never forgot about Brittney.” Cherelle also spoke during the news briefing, as quoted on the same page on The White House’s website, sharing, “So, today, my family is whole.  But as you all are aware, there’s so many other families who are not whole…. [Brittney] and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home.” Ava Palazzola, junior, remarked, “Although it was a tragic experience for Griner to be held in Russian custody, she will now be able to help other people like herself and spread awareness, which I believe is a great next step from stopping this from happening again.” 

On December 9, Griner’s plane landed in Houston, Texas. Griner broke her silence on her release. “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,” she said via Instagram on December 16, 2022, as quoted on ESPN.com in an article titled, “Brittney Griner says she’ll play for WNBA’s Mercury in 2023.” Griner has also addressed her future with the WNBA, sharing that she intends to rejoin the Phoenix Mercury.