Last Year Imprisoned in Russia, Brittney Griner Returns to the WNBA Basketball Competition

US women’s basketball player Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia last year, on Friday (19/5/2023) local time, returned to the court in the 2023 WNBA women’s basketball competition.

Griner, who was freed by Russia as part of a prisoner swap last year, made her first WNBA match appearance, Friday night when the Phoenix Mercury face the Los Angeles Sparks in their season opener in California.

US Vice President Kamala Harris was among the well-wishers at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles as the WNBA superstar finally returned to action.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist basketball player made an instant impression on his return, winning a tip-off and scoring four points as Mercury leapt to an early 7-0 lead.

“It feels good,” Griner said in an on-court interview at the end of the first quarter. “It feels so good. It feels like the last time I played.”

Griner eventually finished with 18 points and six rebounds but was unable to prevent Phoenix from losing heavily 94-71.

The result, however, was almost a footnote to an occasion that Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard described as a “day of joy”.

“We do our jobs with probably less excitement than professional athletes do. It’s tough every day. But it’s great to have this game today. Today is a fun day.”

Celebrities courtside on Friday included tennis legend Billie Jean King, Los Angeles Lakers icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson and current Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

Shortly before the tip-off, Vice President Harris congratulated the Phoenix players for ensuring that the Griner case was not forgotten.

US WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner holds a picture standing in the defendant’s cage before the hearing at Khimki Court, outside Moscow, Russia on July 27, 2022.

“Thank you for everything you do to support Brittney, because I know it’s hard,” said Harris. “It’s so hard for you because the team is family.”

Griner, 32, was arrested on drug charges at the Moscow airport in February 2022 against the backdrop of rising tensions in Ukraine.

At the time of her arrest, Griner was playing for a professional team in Russia, as did a number of WNBA players in the off-season.

He was accused of possessing vape cartridges with small amounts of cannabis oil and was sentenced to nine years in prison in August.

He pleaded guilty to those charges, but said he had no intention of breaking the law or using substances banned in Russia.

Griner was eventually released as part of a deal that saw him traded with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Death Trader”, last December.

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