Breaking – Brittney Griner lands in US
US basketball player Brittney Griner has touched down in her home state of Texas – 10 months after she left the US to play basketball in Russia.
Griner was jailed for carrying cannabis oil at a Moscow airport in February, many believe her arrest was politically motivated – she was detained just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She has since been returned to the US after Washington and Moscow agreed on a prisoner swap – the US sent back Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout who had been imprisoned for 12 years in the United States.
Griner was flown to San Antonio, near her hometown of Houston where she will be offered medical care after her time in a Russian penal colony.
Her wife, Cherelle Griner thanked the Biden administration from the Oval Office when the President announced Griner’s release.
“Brittney has had to endure an unimaginable situation and we’re thrilled that she is on her way home to her family and friends,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement about her return.
She is one of the best-known sportswomen in the USA and was heading to Russia to play during the US off-season.
