Brittney Griner

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Brittney Griner Returns to Familiar Territory

WNBA star signs with Phoenix of the WNBA after being released from detention in Russia

(Newser) - Brittney Griner is headed back to the world of pro basketball. Griner signed a one-year deal with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury to play in the upcoming season, reports the AP . The 32-year-old missed all of the 2022 season after a 10-month ordeal in Russia that included time in a...

Russia Releases Another Detained American

Case of Taylor Dudley hadn't been widely known

(Newser) - Russia has released a US Navy veteran who'd been detained for nine months, reports the Washington Post . The name Taylor Dudley of Lansing, Michigan, may not ring a bell, however, because the 35-year-old's family had largely kept his case under the public radar, per CNN . Former New Mexico...

Cherelle Griner: We Were 'Instantly Crying' on Reunion

She talks to 'People' about Brittney Griner's homecoming, their next steps

(Newser) - Cherelle and Brittney Griner are spending the holidays together at their home in Arizona—and it's a moment that seemed impossibly distant at times during the 294 days Brittney Griner was detained in Russia. Cherelle Griner tells People that when she saw her wife's face through a window...

Brittney Griner Wants You to Send Paul Whelan a Letter

WNBA wants people who supported her to do the same for other detained Americans

(Newser) - Letters from supporters ensured Brittney Griner "never lost hope" during 10 months in Russian detention—and she hopes they'll do the same for Paul Whelan. "I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and...

Griner Posts Her First Message to Fans

'Feels so good to be home!' wrote WNBA star, who says she'll play for Phoenix Mercury this season

(Newser) - Now that she's got that first dunk out of her system, Brittney Griner is finally heading to her home in Arizona. The WNBA star, who flew back to the United States on Dec. 9 after being released by Russia in a prisoner swap, has spent the past week in...

Trump: I Turned Down Trading Bout for Whelan

US and Russia plan to discuss American's release this week

(Newser) - Former President Trump said Sunday that he rejected a Russian prisoner trade that would have freed American Paul Whelan. In a post on Truth Social, the Hill reports, Trump said the price—the US release of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout—was too high. "I turned down a deal...

Brittney Griner Makes a Fitting First Move

WNBA star dunks in light basketball workout

(Newser) - Brittney Griner still hasn't addressed the public since her release from prison in Russia, but ESPN reports a nice development in her journey back to normalcy: She's dunking basketballs again. Griner's agent tells the outlet that the WNBA star worked out on a basketball court for the...

What Happened on Brittney Griner's Long Ride Home

'I have been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian. I want to talk.'

(Newser) - WNBA star Brittney Griner didn't want any alone time as soon as she boarded a US government plane that would bring her home. "I have been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian. I want to talk," Griner said, according to Roger Carstens, the special...

Griner in 'Very Good Spirits,' as Viktor Bout Slams US

WNBA star has been reunited with her wife in Texas

(Newser) - No new photographs or video emerged Friday afternoon of Brittney Griner, but the newly freed athlete has been reunited with her wife and appears to be in good health after 10 months in custody in Russia.
  • “She has been reunited with her wife, Cherelle," said White House press
...

Brittney Griner Lands in Texas
Brittney Griner
Lands in Texas
Dec 9, 2022 5:56 AM CST

Brittney Griner Lands in Texas

She'll meet wife, undergo checks at Brooke Army Medical Center

(Newser) - Brittney Griner is back in the US. The WNBA star released from Russian custody as part of a prisoner swap was seen stepping off a plane that landed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, around 5:30am Friday, CNN reports. That arrival followed the exchange in Abu Dhabi, mediated...

Whelan: 'I Don't Understand Why I'm Still Sitting Here'

He's glad Griner is free, but 'greatly disappointed' he's still being held in Russia

(Newser) - WNBA star Brittney Griner is on her way back to the US after a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Relatives of another American still imprisoned in Russia say that while the deal was the right thing to do, this is still a painful moment for them—and...

Brittney Griner Freed by Russia, but at a 'Heavy Price'

CBS News reports she was exchanged for arms dealer Viktor Bout

(Newser) - Brittney Griner has been freed in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, CBS News reports by way of a US official. The network reports the prisoner exchange happened Thursday in the United Arab Emirates, the culmination of a deal reportedly reached a week ago and given...

Paul Whelan's Family Finally Hears From Him in Russia

American prisoner is allowed to call parents from a hospital, but not much else is known

(Newser) - After a worrisome pause in communication, the family of imprisoned American Paul Whelan says he was allowed to call them Friday from Russia. Whelan called his parents early Friday, marking the first time the family had heard from him since Nov. 23, said his brother David, per the AP . Paul...

Russia Says Inmate Swap Has Become More Likely

A day after Griner is put in a penal colony, diplomat expresses confidence about getting arms dealer back

(Newser) - A Russian official said Friday that the likelihood of a prisoner exchange with the US has improved, a day after his government imprisoned American athlete Brittney Griner in a penal colony. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia wants a trade that would have the US return arms trafficker Viktor...

Griner Begins Serving Term at Notorious Penal Colony

Athlete's lawyers say they've visited her there

(Newser) - Brittney Griner has started to serve her sentence at an infamous Russian penal colony, her legal team said Thursday. The basketball star has been moved to the IK-2 female penal colony, which has a reputation for unsanitary and harsh conditions, the Wall Street Journal reports. The penal colony, where the...

Biden: Putin Might Talk 'Seriously' on Griner With Election Over

He takes questions on Ukraine, Musk, China during post-midterms press conference

(Newser) - After delivering remarks on what he called a "strong night" for Democrats in the midterm elections, President Biden spent around 40 minutes Wednesday answering more than two dozen questions from journalists, including one on American basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been moved to a penal colony in Russia....

US Diplomats Meet With Brittney Griner

Administration says Russia still refuses US offer for 2 Americans being held

(Newser) - Officials from the US Embassy in Moscow were able to meet Thursday with Brittney Griner, the American WNBA star imprisoned in Russia, for the first time in months. The meeting was confirmed by the State Department, the Washington Post reports. "We are told she's doing as well as...

How Brittney Griner Is Feeling as Her Appeal Looms
Russian Court Doesn't
Give Griner a Break
UPDATED
Oct 25, 2022 7:59 AM CDT

Russian Court Doesn't Give Griner a Break

WNBA star's appeal is rejected

(Newser) - Update: To nobody's surprise, a Russian court rejected the appeal of WNBA star Brittney Griner on Tuesday. The decision means her nine-year sentence for drug possession stands, though it will be "slightly decreased" based on her time already spent in custody, reports CNN . The upshot of Tuesday's...

Wife: Griner Is at Her 'Absolute Weakest Moment'

Cherelle Griner hopes Vladimir Putin will have mercy

(Newser) - Brittney Griner is at her "absolute weakest moment in life," according to wife Cherelle Griner, who fears the woman she calls "BG" is losing hope of returning home. "She's very afraid about being left and forgotten in Russia, or just completely used to the point...

Biden: US Prisoner Swap Required 'Difficult Decisions'

US frees Afghan drug lord in exchange for American Mark Frerichs

(Newser) - Update: The White House acknowledged and hailed the release of American hostage Mark Frerichs from Afghanistan on Monday. "Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly," said President Biden in a statement, per USA ...

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