Brittney Griner is officially returning to the WNBA after her 10-month detention in a Russian penal colony, according to multiple reports.
The 32-year-old has signed a yearlong deal worth $165,100 to rejoin the Phoenix Mercury, the team she led to the 2021 WNBA Finals, the Associated Press and ESPN reported Saturday. The superstar free agent has yet to publicly confirm the news, which comes two months after her high-profile prisoner swap with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a deal approved by President Joe Biden.
BRITTNEY GRINER ANNOUNCES HER FUTURE BASKETBALL PLANS AFTER RUSSIAN IMPRISONMENT
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested last February after bringing vaping cartridges containing minimal amounts of cannabis oil through a Moscow airport. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in August. The Biden administration and Griner’s family had argued that she was “wrongfully detained.”
Griner said upon her return to the U.S. in December that she intended to re-sign with the team that drafted her first overall in the 2013 draft. She had delivered one of her best performances during the 2021 season, finishing with an average 20.5 points, 1.9 blocks, and 2.7 assists per game. She also had a career-high of 9.5 rebounds per match.
In addition to basketball, Griner also plans to use her newfound platform to help the U.S. bring back other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
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“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she wrote in her December social media post announcing her return to basketball.
“I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you,” she continued. “I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
