The famous WNBA player Brittney Griner, after being in custody for 9 months with the Russian police, has finally been freed. Brittney Griner was released from custody on December 8th back to the US, and for this, we exchanged Viktor Bout who was a Russian arms dealer also known as The Merchant Of Death. 

On Friday December 16, 2022, Griner shared a long Instagram post about her return to the US.”It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” she wrote. “I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”  

She was in Russia to play in the country’s basketball league during the WNBA offseason when she was detained at an airport in February. She was caught with cannabis-derived oil cartridges in her luggage. She then pleaded guilty to the charges and said that she “didn’t mean to bring the cartridges with her when she traveled to the country.” 

She was then sentenced to 9 years in prison in Russia. She tried to appeal the sentence but she was quickly rejected in October. After this, everybody started to support Griner to the point where she will be getting her very own comic book. TidalWave Comics announced the release of a new addition to its ‘Female Force’ series last week, this one centering on Griner. Frizell said his team started working on the comic well before she got arrested in Russia. They thought she had an important story to tell, an LGBTQ+ woman of color who found a meteoric rise to fame in the WNBA through her talents. He also hopes to do a sequel to the Griner comic book, but this chapter is her life after Russia. 

Griner also spoke about the importance of being a role model and the responsibility that comes with that role. She acknowledged that her actions had consequences and apologized to her fans, teammates, and the WNBA community. Despite the incident, Griner stated that she is grateful for the opportunity to play in Russia and the chance to learn about a different culture. She also emphasized the importance of staying true to herself and not letting fear or judgment hold her back. 

At the end of the day, Griner’s arrest in Russia serves as a reminder of the importance of being aware of and respecting the laws and customs of the places we travel to, and the responsibility that comes with being a role model. Despite the incident, Griner remains grateful for the opportunity to play in Russia and the chance to learn about a different culture.