Brittney Griner: From facing 10 years in Russian prison to an Olympic gold medal

Brittney Griner has had a tumultuous few years, from spending 10 months in a Russian jail, with the threat of a 10 years sentence hanging over her head to now returning to the US as a member of the gold medal-winning women's basketball team.

Per Doug Feinberg for the Associated Press, Griner was emotional during the medal ceremony, with the Phoenix Mercury center seen with tears on her face the US national anthem played.

Griner told reporters, "This one meant a lot to me," after the US defeated France 67-66 in the gold medal match, adding, "I mean, just having a chance to play for gold, represent my country, what my country did for me? Yeah, this is the highest on the pinnacle right here."

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Griner's return to the court, and eventual inclusion in the US women's team is an incredible story of danger, political intrigue, and perseverance, let's take a look at what happened!

Griner returned to the court for the Phoenix Mercury in May 2023 having missed the entire 2022 season due to legal issues in Russia, it marked the conclusion of one of the most interesting sports stories of recent times.

Griner's return was her first WNBA game October 17^th, 2021, after missing the 2022 season due to her arrest in Russia.

The basketball star was traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, the team she had played for in every WNBA off-season since 2014.

Many argue this situation wouldn't have happened if the WNBA had increased their salaries due to many players playing abroad to supplement their earnings.

Let's look at Griner's horrific 2022 and the timeline of events, during her arrest.

The WNBA star was arrested in February 2022 after Russian officials discovered Griner had two vape cartridges containing marijuana in her luggage.

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A week after her arrest, Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering harsher sanctions on Russia from the United States, complicating matters in bringing Griner home.

At the beginning of March 2022, the Russian Federal Customs Service confirmed Griner was in custody on drug charges, facing a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.

On March 17th, the Russian media announced Griner's detention would be extended to May 19^th, giving it another three months until her case was resolved.

On the same day her detention was extended, US officials confirmed no one had spoken to Griner since she was arrested in February, changing the government's tone on the issue, putting it at the top of their agenda.

In May 2022, the US State Department determined that Griner was "wrongfully detained," shifting the US to bargain for a prisoner swap so she didn't have to stand trial.

After a failed attempt at a prisoner swap in June, the WNBA player's trial began in July. Griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and possession but admitted there was no intention.

Reports of the US's intention of a prison swap came to light at the end of July, but at the start of August, Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined $16,700, with Griner's defense team announcing it would appeal the sentence.

The US continued to negotiate a deal with Russia after the court rejected her appeal, arguing that Russia was using Griner as a political tool. On November 17^th, Moscow confirmed Griner had been transported to a female prison in the Mordovia Republic.

On December 1st, 2022, the US and Russia agreed to a prison swap, exchanging Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

On December 9th, Griner landed safely back in San Antonio, ending a ten-month detention in Russia.

In February 2023, Griner signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury, and made an instant impact, making the 2023 All-Star Game. Now, a year on, she's an Olympic champion.

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