Washington, Dec 16 (AFP\/APP):US basketball star Brittney Griner said Friday in her first remarks since being released from a Russian prison that it was “so good to be home” and vowed to play again for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old Griner, in an Instagram post, thanked a long list of people for securing her release with a “special thank you” to President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n
“It feels so good to be home!” Griner said. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going.”<\/p>\n
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion and LGBTQ trailblazer, Griner was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport in February, against a backdrop of soaring tensions over Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Griner — who was swapped last week for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer — said she would do what she can to help secure the release of Paul Whelan, another American held in Russia.<\/p>\n
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she said. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. Every family deserves to be whole.”<\/p>\n
Griner also said she planned to be back on the court.
\n“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season,” she said.<\/p>\n
The 2023 WNBA season begins in May. Griner’s Mercury are scheduled to play their first game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19.<\/p>\n
– Home for the holidays –<\/p>\n
Griner was taken to a US Army base in Texas for a medical checkup after being swapped in Abu Dhabi for Bout, an arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who had been serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear from Griner’s Instagram if she had already left the military base, but she said she would be “home to enjoy the holidays with my family.”<\/p>\n
Her Instagram post was accompanied by a picture of Griner stepping off a plane on US soil and another of her embracing her wife, Cherelle Griner.
\nAt the time of her arrest, Griner had been playing for a professional team in Russia, as a number of WNBA players do in the off-season.<\/p>\n
She was accused of possessing vape cartridges with a small quantity of cannabis oil and sentenced in August to nine years in prison.<\/p>\n
She pleaded guilty to the charges against her, but said she did not intend to break the law or use the banned substance in Russia.<\/p>\n
Griner testified that she had permission from a US doctor to use medicinal cannabis to relieve pain from her many injuries.<\/p>\n
The use of medical marijuana is not allowed in Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington, Dec 16 (AFP\/APP):US basketball star Brittney Griner said Friday in her first remarks since being released from a Russian prison that it was “so good to be home” and vowed to play again for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. The 32-year-old Griner, in an Instagram […]<\/p>\n
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