Brittney Griner has been freed from Russian custody

Brittney Griner is back home in the United States after being detained in Russia for the last 10 months over trumped up cannabis charges. Griner’s released was executed by President Joe Biden in a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout. Griner is now beginning the long road to recovery back home with her family, and on Friday she posted on social media for the first time.

Griner thanked her wife, her agency, grassroots organizers, and the politicians who eventually were able to set her free in an Instagram post. She also dropped a little nugget: she intends to play for the Phoenix Mercury this season when the new year begins in May. Here’s Griner’s Instagram post, with the full caption copied below:

News broke Thursday morning that Brittney Griner was coming home to the United States after the U.S. government completed a prisoner swap with Russia. Viktor Bout, a former Soviet military officer whose story may have inspired the 2005 Nicholas Cage film “Lord of War”, was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans back in 2011 and has been in prison ever since, is now heading back to Russia in the 1-for-1 exchange.

Beyond the complexities of international politics, understandably raw emotion ruled in the immediate aftermath of the announcement as supporters and friends of Griner sounded off about Brittney’s release and soon-to-be-completed return to America.

Brittney Griner was freed on Thursday after spending 10 months in a Russia jail on trumped up drug charges designed to make her a political prisoner amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ultimately it took the United States giving up a serious player in a prisoner swap, with international arms dealer Viktor Bout returning to Russia in the one-for-one deal.

There are hundreds of hot takes flying around the internet evaluating this prisoner swap like a deal at the NBA trade deadline — such is the political climate right now. Something as simple as freeing a wrongly imprisoned U.S. citizen needs to be scrutinized to earn political brownie points, and god forbid we ever admit something good happened independent of party affiliation. So let’s cut through the noise and break down exactly what it took to get this deal done.

The United States has recovered Brittney Griner from the Russians according to multiple reports. Griner was exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and is currently on an airplane headed home after undergoing a medical evaluation in the United Arab Emirates where the exchange occurred.

This is fantastic news for Griner’s family and teammates. Unfortunately, former marine Paul Whelan was not included in the exchange. He’s been in Russian custody for four years.

BREAKING NEWS: Brittney Griner has been freed in a prisoner exchange according to US officials. Our full story on this news will be updated here.

The WNBA’s Britney Griner has not been outside the minds of the basketball world ever since her detention in Russia began. And it appears she remains within the realm of consciousness for the United States Government as well.

At some point today, 2018 WNBA MVP and two-time champion Breanna Stewart will fire off a tweet. It will be nearly identical to the tweet she posted yesterday, and the day before, and every day for a few months. The only difference will be the incremental change of a number.

Here’s what it will say:

A Russian court denied Brittney Griner’s appeal, which is the latest blow to the Phoenix Mercury star’s hopes of being released anytime soon. Griner’s unlawful detention has now entered its 249th day.

Griner was detained at a Russian airport on February 17 after she was accused of having a vape cartridge that contained hashish oil. Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July and said that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage mistakenly and that she had no “intention” of breaking Russian law. However, Griner was found guilty in a Moscow-area court and sentenced to nine years on August 4.