PARIS — Brittney Griner may have just finished a grueling pre-Olympic workout here with her U.S. women’s basketball teammates, but at least some of her thoughts remained in Russia, as they always have.
This applies not only to her own incredible journey from an 11-month sentence in a desolate and brutal penal colony to representing the United States at the Olympics, but also to every other American who has been detained in Russia.
Last Saturday in Paris, with his teammates warming up behind him, Griner stood on the baseline and spoke about Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter being held since March 2023 on espionage charges that are disputed by the State Department.
“I [follow his case,]”My heart goes out to his family. If I could send a message I’d say to him: don’t give up hope. We’re not stopping. We’re not stopping. We’re going to keep moving forward and we’re going to bring everybody home and back to their families,” Griner said.
On Thursday, the United States and Russia took part in a larger prisoner swap among seven nations, involving 24 adults, including Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has also been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges.
The exchange took place at an airport in Ankara, Turkey, according to The New York Times.
On February 17, 2022, Griner was detained at a Moscow airport for possession of a small amount of hash oil, according to the Russian government. She was headed to Russia to play professional baseball there. However, she became a political testament and was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison for “drug smuggling.”
The State Department deemed her “unfairly detained,” and the federal government arranged a prisoner swap for December 2022 for a Russian arms dealer serving a 10-year sentence in the United States.
She’s been able to return to a normal life, playing in the WNBA, starting a family with her wife, competing in her third Olympic Games with the U.S., and working to raise awareness for Americans incarcerated around the world.
She said she has never forgotten her experience in Russian detention, and there were days when she lost hope that she would ever be released.
“[Hope] “It was a dangerous thing,” Griner says, “because at some point you have to accept it. There were moments where I was like, ‘This is reality.'”
The experience was so difficult that some of her teammates, including longtime friend Diana Taurasi, worried how she would even manage to fly to France for the Olympics, her first overseas trip since regaining her freedom.
“My memories of prison have always stayed with me,” Griner said of her time in prison, “and there are definitely moments where you think, ‘Wow, this could be completely different. I could see this beautiful view through the bars.’ That doesn’t go away. It just makes you appreciate everything a little bit more.”
Griner grew up in a military family in Texas. Playing for the U.S. was always the ultimate goal, even bigger than the 2012 NCAA championship at Baylor and the 2014 WNBA title at the University of Phoenix. She won gold medals in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
“It’s always been everything to me,” Griner said. “My dad was in the Marines from 1968-69, so for us, it means everything to him and for me to represent our country. Before I started playing basketball, I wanted to join the military. Now, [the Team USA jersey] I am honored to be selected again among so many incredible women.”
Her release was not met with universal joy, with many critics believing that a convicted arms dealer was unworthy of playing in the WNBA, making the experience even more traumatic for Griner.
But no matter what others say, she is grateful to the U.S. government and grateful to be an American, while advocating for the release of others who are going through the same hell she is.
As of Thursday, that number had decreased.