Brittney Griner to reveal horrors of Russian detainment in new memoir

San Antonio, Texas - Brittney Griner hopes to give people an insight into her nightmarish detainment in Russia and spread awareness about others being held there through a memoir that's now in the works.

Brittney Griner will publish her memoir in 2024, detailing her months-long imprisonment in Russia.
Brittney Griner will publish her memoir in 2024, detailing her months-long imprisonment in Russia.  © USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The WNBA star plans to release a book in the spring of 2024 to detail her nearly 10-month imprisonment following a drug possession arrest, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Tuesday.

"Readers will hear my story and understand why I'm so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world," Griner said in a statement Tuesday. "By writing this book, I also hope to raise awareness surrounding other Americans wrongfully detained abroad."

Griner was arrested in February 2022 after Russian officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

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The Phoenix Mercury center said packing the substance was an "honest mistake" and pleaded guilty to drug charges last July. She was sentenced to nine years in prison but returned to the US in December following a prisoner exchange for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner opens up on "unfathomable period"

Griner returned to the US in December 2022, having initially been sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.
Griner returned to the US in December 2022, having initially been sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.  © REUTERS

In a statement, Griner said: "I arrived in Moscow to rejoin the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team and was immediately detained at the airport."

"That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share. The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud."

The 32-year-old Griner says she hopes sharing her story will bring attention to detainees, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was charged with espionage.

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Griner's memoir, which does not have a title yet, will have a co-author, the publisher says. It will be edited by Jordan Pavlin, the senior vice president and editor-in-chief of Knopf.

The 6-foot-9 Griner is an eight-time WNBA All-Star who won a championship with the Mercury in 2014. She also won a college title with the Baylor Bears and a pair of Olympic gold medals with the US women's basketball team.

Cover photo: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

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