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Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner is a decorated basketball player who plays for the WNBA and has also played in Russia's UMMC Yekaterinburg. As of 2022, Griner was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a seven-time all-star player. Griner started her career early, and was named the nation's #1 high school women's player in 2009. That year she also began to play for the Phoenix Mercury All-American team. Griner then came out as lesbian publicly in 2013. She said she had previously been bullied for her sexuality. In 2016 she won her first Olympic gold at the Rio Olympics. In 2021 she won a second gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On May 8, 2015, Brittney Griner and fellow basketball star Glory Johnson married. The two divorced in June 2016 but had twins together. Griner proposed to Cherelle Watson in 2018. The pair were later married.

Kamala Harris Makes Surprise Trip to Brittney Griner's First WNBA Game Back

It was Brittney Griner’s first regular season game since she was released from a Russian prison camp.

Brittney Griner to Publish Memoir on Wrongful Detention in Russia

The WNBA star will explain in vivid detail what it was like to be wrongfully detained as a political pawn in Russia without speaking the language.

Brittney Griner Re-signs With Phoenix Mercury for the Upcoming Season

Griner spent 10 months in Russian jail and was released in December in a prisoner exchange.

Brittney Griner Pens Holiday Letter Asking for Support for Paul Whelan

Brittney Griner gave supporters an address to which they can send Paul Whelan encouraging letters. 

Brittney Griner Released From Medical Care, Says She Will Play Again

The WNBA star who was released from Russian captivity on December 8 has left the facility in Texas where she had been undergoing treatment to help reintegrate into American society.

Freeing Brittney: How They Got Griner Home

When the most famous female athlete in the world was arrested in Russia -- days before that nation started a war -- it set off a desperate nine-month scramble.

Brittney Griner Lands in the U.S.

The out basketball star landed Friday at an Army base in Texas after being released by Russia.

Senior White House Adviser: Team Effort Won Brittney Griner’s Release

Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta and the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, on the herculean effort that resulted in Griner's freedom.

 

Russia Shares Footage of Brittney Griner on Plane, Her Release

The out basketball star is on her way home.

Brittney Griner Release Major Diplomatic Victory for U.S.

The Biden administration secured custody of the lesbian athlete quietly and announced her freedom in an early morning press conference. 

Brittney Griner Released from Russian Detention

The out WNBA star was released as part of a reported prisoner swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

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Russia Reiterates Interest in Prisoner Exchange for Brittney Griner

It comes only a day after Brittney Griner's legal team confirmed that the lesbian Basketball star has been moved to a penal colony.

Brittney Griner's Lawyers Confirm WNBA Star Moved to Penal Colony

Russian penal colonies are often harsh facilities for political prisoners, according to the U.S. State Department.

What Life in a Penal Colony Could Have Been Like for Brittany Griner

Human rights groups have decried the conditions in many of these Russian facilities. Here's what the out WNBA star may have faced.

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Karine Jean-Pierre: U.S. Officials Met With Brittney Griner in Russia

"We are told she's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.

Brittney Griner Sentence Inspires Fury, Smokeout at Russian Embassy

The out basketball star, sentenced to nearly a decade in a gulag for carrying a vape, continues to be a pawn of Putin's.

Brittney Griner Spends 32nd Birthday in Russian Jail Cell

The celebrated out WNBA champion thanked her supporters in a statement through her legal team. Griner has been detained in Russia since February.

Biden Says He'll Meet With Putin Only to Discuss Brittney Griner

President Biden says there's no point in talking with the Russian leader unless Putin is willing to discuss Griner's release.

Biden to Meet With Families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

Griner has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, along with a fine of about $16,400.