Per CNN

WNBA star Brittney Griner is coming back to America after being detained in Russia for drug charges and will no longer continue her nine-year prison sentence. Her return comes after around ten months of captivity.

President Joe Biden himself announced that Brittney Griner would come home, and this was due to their deal with Russia to return an arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the "Merchant of Death."

Biden: “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,”

Griner was initially detained in Russia on Feb 17 for allegedly carrying illegal substances in her luggage, per CBS. The eight-time WNBA All-Star's trial started 130 days after detainment on July 1, with her sentence given to her a month later.

Despite appealing for a shorter sentence in October, her efforts were denied. During this time, the US government was in talks with Russia regarding a possible prisoner exchange to bring Griner back home. California congressman John Garamendi described how difficult the situation was.

Garamendi: "Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment,"

The reason for Griner being in Russia was because she was one of 70 WNBA players that were competing internationally during the offseason of 2022. She was one of five the WNBA All-Star playing in the UMMC Ekaterinburg, which reportedly pays her $1 million per season compared to her WNBA salary of just $228,094.

Griner's arrest resulted in a diplomatic drama between US and Russia that continued until Russia's war in Ukraine. Now, they have found a resolution to exchange US prisoner Viktor Bout for Russian prisoner Brittney Griner.

On July 27, there were talks about the US offering Bout as an exchange for Griner. Initially, the Russian government wanted to get Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer in Germany, in exchange for the WNBA All-Star. Still, the US questioned the legitimacy of this request at that time.

Biden assured that they were speaking with Griner's family and that she would be home in the next 24 hours.

Resources:

CNN

CBS

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