Brittney Griner shared her first message to social media on Friday after being released from a military medical facility in Texas, thanking her friends, family and fans for their support in a heartfelt message posted to Instagram.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist also announced her intent to play for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this coming season.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” Griner wrote alongside a series of photos, one showing her departing a small plane and another in which she hugged her wife, Cherelle Griner. “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.”
Griner went on to thank her family and teammates, saying she is “grateful to each person who advocated for me” during the nearly 300 days of her detention in Russia.
“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,” Griner added.
The 32-year-old has played as a center for the Mercury since 2013; the opening day of the team’s 2023 season is slated for May.
Griner was arrested in Moscow in February after traveling to Russia to play basketball during the WNBA’s off season. At the time, Russian authorities said she was carrying illegal cartridges of marijuana. Griner ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.
Her release was secured after months of negotiations with the Biden administration and Russian officials. Ultimately, Griner was freed in exchange for the release of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in a deal announced in early December.
The negotiations did not, however, secure the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive who has been jailed in Russia on espionage charges for nearly four years.
Griner on Friday said she knows President Joe Biden is “committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too.”
“I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you,” Griner said in a message addressed to the president. “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.”
To that end, the basketball player shared a screenshot of a post from David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s brother, on her Instagram stories, encouraging Americans to send the detained U.S. citizen cards and letters for the holidays.
Brittney's wife, Cherelle Griner, also shared the photo to her Instagram, adding an additional message: "The work to bring Americans home is important! Let's not turn a blind eye to the many Americans who are still NOT HOME!"