Brittney Griner opens up about gold medal victory and harrowing Russia experience

The 2024 Olympics was punctuated by a gold medal victory for the United States in women's basketball. This has prompted center Brittney Griner to return to the headlines again, as she completes a full circle journey after her detainment in Russia.

After Team USA's victory over France, Brittney Griner posted on Instagram, "Some love to see it...some hate to see it...BUT YOU ALL SEE IT."

Griner told Yahoo Sports, "My country fought for me to get back. And I was able to bring home gold for my country. There's just no greater feeling."

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Griner is more famous to the general public for her hostage situation. The New York Times used WNBA star Brittney Griner’s quote to headline their piece about her imprisonment in Russia. As she reacclimates to life back in the United States, Griner has been more open about the gruesome treatment she faced abroad.

Griner’s book, "Coming Home," was published for public consumption on May 7. The nearly 300-page novel chronicles her initial detainment, precarious mental state in Russia, and the process that allowed her to eventually return home.

In an interview with ESPN, Griner spoke about the lack of resources she had in the Russian prison. "They strip it really quick and really well, because, you get there, you have nothing… Like I literally had to rip up a shirt in different pieces, one to wash myself, one to wipe myself."

In an interview with MSNBC, Griner spoke about the "games" the Russian prison tried to play with her. "And I soon found one of the games was trying to tell me to go into one of the men’s cells. And I’m like, 'I’m not going in that cell.'" She was eventually led to the women’s side of the facility.

Griner was treated like a regular prisoner during her time in Russia. She told NPR, "You have three toilets and one shower to serve 50-plus women. Then there’s no hot water. I had a bucket and a ladle…you squat down in the shower and you just scoop and pour… you have about maybe five minutes because you have about 10-12 other women waiting in the bathroom area."

The basketball star gave other disturbing details to the New York Times. Their website wrote of her cell, "The room stank: A feces-stained hole in the ground served as the toilet. The prison guards brought her a milky porridge with a piece of oily fish that sickened her. The bed was too small for her frame… her old sports injuries flared up as she lay there, writhing in agony."

Griner told the New York Times, "I’ve never been so dirty in my life," and admitted that she thought about committing suicide during her 10-month nightmare in Russia.

Griner realized pretty quickly that she didn’t have anyone she could trust in prison. In an interview with ESPN, she spoke about a fellow prisoner named Olya, who she thought she had a friendly bond with. However, Griner realized she could not confide in her.

Griner told ESPN, "Olya would be lying down, trying to act like she was asleep…she would get up and watch us (Griner and another prisoner) talk. Or, when we would get done talking, she would start writing in her book. And one day, I saw her slip a note to the guard, and I was like, oh Ok, you’re a spy."

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An excerpt from "Coming Home" revealed Griner’s thoughts about Russian president Vladimir Putin. "For Putin, my worth was as a pawn. My arrest gave him leverage in his clash with the west. He was well aware of America’s long history of racial tensions, and he knew how to use that to his benefit."

What made the situation so jarring for Brittney Griner initially was the fact that she had been to Russia several times over the years, without any issues. She told NPR, "I’ve made this trip multiple times in a season, I’ve been there eight years." Griner played in a Russian Premier basketball league to make more money in the offseason.

However, Griner sensed something different prior to being detained. She told NPR, "I’ve never seen so much security… it was very random. And everybody that was getting pulled to the side looked either American or, you know, non-Russian. And all the Russians were basically just walking through the middle, not getting checked."

Griner had no idea how long she would be imprisoned for, and wondered whether her marriage would be able to survive over many months, or years, apart. Her wife, Cherelle, put a full court press on to get her significant other back to the United States.

Cherelle would speak on various talk shows and write letters to President Joe Biden, urging the public and the government not to forget about Griner.

Not only did Griner have to get back to full health physically to prepare for a WNBA season; she also took steps to improve her mental health. People’s website talks about Griner’s open stance about athletes taking time for themselves in this regard if they need it.

Griner told the New York Times in April 2023 that she hoped her book would reveal just how dehumanizing her experience was, and provide insight into the daily lives of other Americans imprisoned in Russia.

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