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☆ Brittney Griner, in Her Own Words
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

COMING HOME, by Brittney Griner with Michelle BurfordIf you weren’t following women’s basketball, you probably hadn’t heard of Brittney Griner when she was arrested at a Moscow-area airport in February 2022. “Fear is one thing,” Griner writes in “Coming Home,” her new memoir, describing the stomach-curdling moment when an inspector seized her passport and told her to wait. “But uncertainty, the unknown, a free fall into mystery — that’s much stronger than fear; it’s terror.”At first, Griner naïvely thought she would be fined and sentenced to house arrest. But possession of even a small amount of drugs is a serious offense in Russia, and she was eventually charged with narcotics smuggling. Days later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Griner found herself a high-profile pawn in a vicious geopolitical battle.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford, Brittney, —, Griner, ” Organizations: Phoenix Mercury, UMMC, Mercury Locations: Moscow, UMMC Yekaterinburg, Russian, United States, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Brittney Griner tells ABC that she ‘wanted to take my life more than once’ while detained in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Wayne Sterling | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US State Department deemed that Griner had been wrongfully detained and she was released in December 2022 in a prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. I felt like leaving here so badly,” Griner said in the ABC interview which aired on Wednesday. I have to endure this.”Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, also said that she was required to write Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter asking for forgiveness. Natalia Kolesnikova/Reuters“They made me write this letter,” said Griner, not specifying who told her to write the letter. The Phoenix Mercury star is entering her 11th WNBA season having returned to the team in May last year.

Persons: CNN — Brittney Griner, ABC’s, Griner, Viktor Bout, “, ” Griner, can’t, ”, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Reuters “, Cherelle Organizations: International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders Worldwide, CNN, WNBA, US State Department, Russian, ABC, Reuters, ”, UMMC Ekaterinburg, Phoenix Mercury, Paris Olympics Locations: Russia, Khimki, Moscow, Russian, Paris

☆ Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury ahead of Team USA training camp
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Brittney Griner has re-signed with her longtime WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, ahead of this year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Griner also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA. Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images/FilePhoenix’s signing of Griner comes the same week that the USA Basketball Women’s National Team will hold a training camp in Cleveland, Ohio. On Thursday, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team announced the 14-athlete April training camp roster, which will be held Wednesday through Friday. When announcing the training camp roster Thursday, USA Basketball said at the time that Clark would attend contingent on Iowa’s progression through the NCAA tournament.

Persons: Brittney Griner, ” Griner, Griner, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Griner –, “, ”, Caitlin Clark, Clark Organizations: CNN, WNBA, Phoenix Mercury, Mercury, Team USA, Griner, Rio, USA Basketball Women’s, Paris, Phoenix, Las Vegas Aces, Team, NCAA Locations: Paris, Russia, United States, Cleveland , Ohio, Clark, Iowa, Cleveland

PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA after nearly 10 months in a Russian prison hasn't always been the smoothest ride. One more joyful moment came on Friday night, when the 6-foot-9 Griner played her final home game of the season in front of an announced sellout crowd of 13,206. "I've really enjoyed being here, playing basketball, being with this group, being back in the Valley with the fans. “I'm just happy to be here, doing what I love.”She'll have one more game on Sunday in Las Vegas. Like Griner, Hammon also played for Russian teams during the offseason in her playing days and even represented the country in the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.

Persons: hasn't, Griner, “ It's, ” Griner, I've, “ I'm, ”, “, Viktor Bout —, Becky Hammon, Hammon, ” Hammon, Sydney Colson, I'm, ” Colson, ___ Organizations: PHOENIX, WNBA, Las Vegas Aces, Aces, ESPN, Mercury, Russian, Nike Locations: Las Vegas, United States, Texas, Russia

CNN —After spending more than 300 days in Russian custody last year, Brittney Griner made an emotional return to her WNBA home court in the Phoenix Mercury’s 75-69 defeat by the Chicago Sky. The crowd went crazy in applause as she ran onto the court while giving her teammates high fives. “There might have been a little dust in my eye, a little dusty,” Griner told reporters after the game. Carstens joined Griner at the podium after the game, alongside Representative Shelia Jackson Lee, and said it was “emotional” for them both seeing Griner on the court. BG’s family in the crowd and BG back on the court, doing what BG does best which is playing basketball.

☆ Brittney Griner Returns to the W.N.B.A. With a Weekend of Celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But through her first two games, Griner has put those questions to rest. She and her teammates have acknowledged she isn’t yet the player she once was, but Griner performed like the Mercury’s best player over their first two games. She led the team in points and rebounds over the two losses, averaging 22.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. “By All-Star, I hope to be exactly where I want to be,” Griner said after the Sparks game. “You know, not having to limit my minutes, being able to just play — I’m going to regret this, but — being able to play 40 minutes.

CNN —Nearly five months after she was released from Russian detention, WNBA star Brittney Griner says it feels “a little overwhelming” to return to public life given the widespread interest in her case. Griner spent nearly 300 days in custody before being released as part of a prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December. She has since been reintegrating into life in the United States, meeting with US President Joe Biden, attending the Met Gala on Monday, and preparing for the season ahead with the Phoenix Mercury. “I didn’t think it could get that big,” Griner told reporters during the Mercury’s annual preseason media day on Wednesday. Griner arrives back in the United States in December.

CNN —Brittney Griner thanked the media for its coverage while she was detained in Russia and for the exposure it provided to help her get back to the United States. Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was moved to tears by the opening question at Thursday’s press conference, but quickly composed herself. Griner had for years played on a Russian women’s basketball team during the WNBA off-season and was detained in a Moscow airport as she traveled back to the US. … You know what you’re waiting on,” Griner said. “You’re waiting to be back with your family.”More to follow.

☆ ‘I want to talk’: Brittney Griner opened up during her long trip home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want any alone time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home. I want to talk,” Griner said, according to Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who helped secure the basketball star’s release and bring her back to the U.S. last week. “It was really amazing.”Ultimately, Griner spent about 12 hours of an 18-hour flight talking with others on the plane, Carstens said. The U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected. But the U.S. was unable to secure the freedom of Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia for nearly four years.

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