Vincent Frank
WNBA star Brittney Griner knows all too well how your life can change in an instant. It was back in February of 2022 that Griner was detained in Russia and charged with smuggling drugs into the Eastern European country.
Griner, 33, was initially sentenced to nine years in prison. In December of the same year, the Phoenix Mercury star was released from detention in a prisoner exchange that included Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. It created a ton of debate over the fairness of the exchange with an enemy of the United States. It also came amid Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Fast forward less than two years, and this is back in the news again.
It was earlier on Thursday that the United States and Russia agreed to an historic prisoner exchange that brings two dozen Americans back from their detention in the war-torn country.
Former United States Marine Paul Whelan was among those released on Thursday in a deal brokered by the Biden Administration. Many felt that he should have been included in the 2022 swap that brought Griner home.
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Brittney Griner “Head Over Heels” For Americans Coming Home In Prisoner Swap
“Great day. It’s a great day. It’s a great day,” Griner said on Thursday, via the Associated Press. “We’ll talk more about it later. But head over heels happy for the families right now. Any day that Americans come home, that’s a win. That’s a win.”
These quotes came immediately after Griner and Team USA defeated Belgium by the score of 87-74 to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Griner has been in the news a whole heck of a lot since being released from Russia custody. She had previously detailed just how difficult it was to be held in the Eastern European country. She knows all too well what the families of these two dozen went through and how they feel right now.