Brittney Griner has spoken out for the first time since returning from her nearly 10-month-long detention in Russia.
The U.S. basketball star posted a lengthy statement to her Instagram Friday, thanking the WNBA, the Biden administration and her family for helping her get back to American soil.
“It feels so good to be home! 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. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help,” she wrote.
“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.”
“I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey,” Griner said as she “transitions home to enjoy the holidays” with family.
Special thank yous went to her wife, Cherelle Griner, agents Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman, and her Russian legal team of Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov.
She also mentioned President Joe Biden by name.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she wrote.
Whelan, who is also a Canadian, Irish and British citizen, has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges since 2018.
U.S. officials had for months expressed their determination to bring home both Griner and Whelan, but the Michigan security executive was not included in the swap, which saw Griner released in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
She extended an offer to help Biden’s team “do whatever” she can to bring Whelan home.
“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.”
Finally, Griner wanted to “make one thing very clear” in her first message since returning to the U.S.
“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,” she said.
Griner, who also played pro basketball in Russia, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after Russian authorities said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. The U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
Griner pleaded guilty in July but still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony, where she had remained since November until her release last week.
Griner, a two-time Olympic champion and one of the biggest stars of the WNBA, was the most prominent American wrongfully detained abroad until her release on Dec. 8.
“Brittney Griner has shown bravery and resolve over the last nearly 300 days,” USA Basketball tweeted upon Griner’s release. “We look forward to seeing Brittney again when the time is right and wish her the best in the days and weeks ahead.”
— With files from Global News’ Kathryn Mannie