Surrounded by unidentified individuals in suits, wearing a red-and-black lumberjack shirt, and featuring a new, cropped hairstyle instead of her usual dreadlocks, Brittney Griner walked across an unremarkable airport runway in the UAE. Approaching from the other side was the average-looking, middle-aged, Soviet-born arms dealer released in exchange for her freedom from a Russian penal colony. “I wish you good luck,” Viktor Bout said to the 6-foot-9 WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist as they passed each other on December 8, 2022.
Griner seemed indifferent to Bout during their brief encounter, understandably so. Her journey had been tumultuous, from her drug arrest at a Moscow airport to 10 months in prison and the contentious prisoner swap. But her future was clear: returning to the U.S., basketball, her wife Cherelle, and leaving the fate of the ‘Merchant of Death’ behind. Meanwhile, Bout smoothly transitioned from arms dealing in war-torn regions to a quasi-political role in Russia, reflecting more on Putin’s regime than on Bout himself. A vocal supporter of Putin’s unpopular invasion of Ukraine, Bout’s past as a war criminal seems irrelevant to the Russian President.
The ongoing war in Ukraine cast a shadow over Griner’s trial, conviction, and the severe nine-year sentence she received for a crime usually met with mere weeks of jail time in Russia. Indeed, it was Griner’s medically prescribed hash oil found by Moscow airport security in February 2022. However, Putin leveraged her situation into a political tool until securing the prisoner swap with the Biden Administration one year ago. Griner, daughter of a Houston sheriff’s deputy and a Vietnam veteran, faced bullying in her youth over her size and sexuality. Yet, her stature also propelled her basketball career. In high school, she achieved remarkable feats, such as dunking 52 times in 32 games and blocking 25 shots in a single game, leading to YouTube fame, a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal, and numerous scholarship offers.
By May 7, 2009, when Houston Mayor Bill White proclaimed the day as ‘Britney Griner Day,’ she had already committed to Baylor University, a national basketball powerhouse. Her success soared from 2009 to 2022, marked by an NCAA title, being named the outstanding player of the Final Four, a first pick in the WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, selection to nine All-Star teams, and winning both club and Olympic titles. Despite these professional triumphs, Griner’s personal life has been notably challenging.
Griner’s engagement to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson was marred by a domestic violence arrest involving both athletes. Despite marrying, their union was short-lived, culminating in a divorce that required Griner to pay child support for their twin daughters. In 2018, Griner found companionship with Cherelle, leading to their marriage in 2019. However, as her personal life stabilized, Griner began to face public criticism for her social activism.
In response to the 2020 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Griner joined other athletes in refusing to stand for the national anthem. “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season,” she stated, advocating for a firm stance. As an outspoken, gay, African-American basketball star, Griner seemed an unlikely figure to play professionally in Putin’s Russia, a nation increasingly associated with racism and homophobia. However, lacking the substantial contracts of NBA players, Griner, along with other WNBA stars, traditionally spent their off-seasons in Eastern Europe, braving the cold winters to enhance their earnings.
Since 2014, Griner had supplemented her income by playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a top-tier Russian team located at the base of the Ural Mountains. It was during her return to this team in February 2022 that she was detained by airport security in Moscow. Griner, who had long struggled with knee and ankle issues, had obtained a medical marijuana prescription in Arizona to manage her chronic pain. This led to her possession of cartridges containing less than a gram of the substance. Griner later speculated that she had inadvertently left these in her suitcase in a hurry to catch her flight.
Unbeknownst to the Western world at the time, Griner was held in police custody, putting her future at risk. As February ended and Putin prepared for the invasion of Ukraine, several American players, including former WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and ex-NBA guard Shabazz Napier, started leaving Eastern Europe. Griner’s predicament only became public the following month, by which time Cherelle had already begun desperate efforts for their reunion. However, making Griner’s situation widely known was challenging. The US State Department’s declaration of Griner as ‘wrongfully detained’ had irked Russia, and there were fears that Putin might retaliate against her in response to Western media coverage.
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In an Instagram plea, Cherelle Griner expressed her distress: “This message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.” Facing trial, Griner wrote to President Biden in July 2022: “I’m terrified I might be here forever. Please don’t forget about me and other American detainees. Do all you can to bring us home.” Her trial in Russia unfolded as expected.
Griner, confined in a small holding cell that barely accommodated her tall stature, pleaded guilty, hoping for leniency. She told the judge she hadn’t intended to violate Russian law. Nonetheless, the judge imposed the prosecutor’s recommended nine-year sentence. After Griner’s appeal failed, Cherelle began to despair. Speaking to CBS as Griner was transferred to a penal colony, Cherelle expressed her fear and uncertainty: “Do we get her back? Do I ever get to see my wife again? Every day brings something new, it’s terrifying.” Griner was sent to IK-2, a notorious female penal colony in Mordovia, characterized by slave-like conditions, long labor shifts, extreme cold, and dangerous inmates. In these harsh conditions, Griner trimmed her dreadlocks, which could freeze in the severe cold.
As Griner endured her sentence, efforts for her release persisted. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Arkansas Governor Bill Richardson, and Bring Our Families Home, a group advocating for political prisoners, all pushed for the release of Griner and Paul Whelan. Interestingly, the breakthrough came with the aid of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just two days after the US dropped a lawsuit accusing him of involvement in journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Russia remained unwilling to release Whelan, still imprisoned for espionage (this week, Putin’s officials rejected a State Department proposal for Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, a jailed Wall Street Journal reporter). Griner, not charged with spying, offered more negotiation flexibility, possibly contributing to Russia’s willingness to discuss her release.
The exchange for Griner’s release was contentious: Russia demanded Viktor Bout, detained since 2008 for attempting to sell arms to Colombian rebels targeting U.S. forces. Former President Donald Trump criticized the deal as ‘one-sided’, as Griner returned without Paul Whelan. Other conservatives echoed this sentiment, accusing the Biden Administration of favoring a basketball player over a former Marine. However, these critiques overlooked Trump’s own inability to free Whelan since his 2018 arrest in Russia. Significantly, Whelan’s family supported the swap. “I can only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays,” said David Whelan, Paul’s brother, in December 2022. The Whelans, informed beforehand, remained supportive. David commended Biden’s decision, saying, “He made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.” Amidst the controversy, Griner has disregarded her critics.
Reunited with Cherelle and her family, Griner spent her initial days post-exchange cherishing their company. It was over a week after her return to Fort Hood, Texas, before Griner publicly expressed her gratitude and advocated for Whelan’s release. (Gershkovich was arrested later in March 2023). “It feels so good to be home!” Griner shared on Instagram. “The last 10 months have been a battle. I kept my faith, and your love helped me endure. Thank you, everyone. President Biden, you brought me home, and I trust you’ll bring Paul Whelan and all Americans back too. I’ll use my platform to assist. I urge everyone who helped me to continue their efforts for all Americans. Every family deserves to be whole.” Griner has remained true to her commitment in this regard.
In her emotional return to the court for the Mercury in April, Griner passionately called for the release of Whelan and Gershkovich. “No man, no woman left behind. It hurts,” she expressed, emphasizing the unfairness of their conditions. “I hope everyone keeps raising awareness and fights to bring everyone home,” Griner added. Her advocacy efforts for wrongfully detained Americans earned her the WNBA community assist award. Griner also took a moment to express heartfelt gratitude to her wife, Cherelle, her personal hero. “Round of applause for my wife,” she said. “She had the toughest job. Thank you so much, babe, for being there for me. You’re the one.”
Before the 2023 season began, Griner’s return to basketball was already deemed a triumph. However, the Mercury concluded with a league-low record of 9-31, despite Griner’s team-leading average of 17.5 points per game. Beyond the team’s struggles and her new, shorter hairstyle, Griner made a notable change: she began standing for the national anthem. This wasn’t a retreat from her social justice commitments or her stance against racism and homophobia. Instead, Griner found new meaning in the anthem following her ordeal. “What I went through… it just means more to me now, so I want to be able to stand,” she said in May. “I was in a cage and couldn’t stand as I wanted. Hearing my national anthem, seeing my flag, I definitely want to stand.” Read the full story:
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