Brittney Griner, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time WNBA All-Star, was arrested in February 2022 at a Moscow airport for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil. Griner was returning to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season when she was detained.
“I was just so scared for everything because there’s so much unknown,” Griner told “GMA” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “My life is over right here,” she recalled thinking when she realized she had left the cartridges in her luggage.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July 2022, maintaining that the cartridges were packed accidentally and without intent to break Russian law. Despite her plea, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Throughout her detention, top athletes in the WNBA and NBA rallied for Griner, pressuring the Biden administration to secure her release. The U.S. government classified Griner’s case as “wrongfully detained” and worked for months to negotiate her freedom.
In a moment of despair, Griner contemplated ending her life. “I just didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” she said.
Griner’s release in December 2022, in a prisoner exchange with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, was met with relief and joy. Since her return, she has become an outspoken advocate for other Americans wrongfully detained overseas.
Griner’s exclusive interview with “20/20” airs May 1 and will provide a detailed account of her incarceration and subsequent release. Her memoir, “Coming Home,” to be published on May 7, will further chronicle her harrowing experience and the resilience that carried her through it.
