Brittney Griner is preparing to share her journey in the forthcoming memoir Coming Home.
“COMING HOME is a story of hope and survival, of before and after. Before, on my way to Russia, a place I’ve called my second home, I was excited to win another title,” Griner, 33, captioned her Instagram post on Tuesday, February 6, announcing the book. “For eight seasons I played there, won there, and lived there for long stretches. A short time later and a world away, I woke up in an after I’d wish on no one.”
Griner described the book as a “diary of my heartaches and regrets,” detailing how it “begins in a land where my roots developed.”
The WNBA star concluded, “But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”
Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022 while competing for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason. Russian authorities alleged she had hashish oil in her possession, resulting in her arrest. The news of the incident did not surface until weeks later. (Griner has been a member of the Phoenix Mercury since 2013.)
In May 2022, the United States State Department declared that Griner had been “wrongfully detained,” initially hesitant due to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. After a shift in approach, negotiations for her release commenced. However, her detention was prolonged until June 2022 and subsequently extended a second time until July of that year.
Griner appeared in a Russian court on July 7, 2022, and entered a guilty plea.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor,” the WNBA player told the judge. “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.”
A Russian court ultimately convicted Griner of drug smuggling with criminal intent in August 2022, handing her a nine-year prison sentence and a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,400).
Negotiations for a prison swap between the United States and Russian governments commenced after Griner’s sentencing. Her lawyer filed an appeal in August 2022, which was denied in October of the same year. By November 2022, Griner had been transferred to a Russian penal colony.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden revealed that Griner’s release had been negotiated in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.
“These past few months have been hell for Brittney and Cherelle,” Biden said at the time. “People all across the country have learned about Brittney’s story and advocated for her release and 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 and relieved to finally be heading home.”
Griner’s Coming Home is set to premiere on May 7, 2024. How much are you excited?