Brittney Griner has spoken publicly for the first time since being held in Russian prison for 294 days for allegedly carrying less than a gram of hashish oil in her luggage and the seven-time WNBA All-Star can’t wait to get back on the court.
On her Instagram, Griner shared photos of her return along with a statement, saying how grateful she is to be back on American soil and that she will do whatever it takes to help get other prisoners home too.
“The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” Griner 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.”
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. 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.”
The 32-year-old had a long list of people to thank in her post and wanted to make it known to everyone of her intention to get back to her team.
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”