Brittney Griner said she’s “grateful” to be back in the United States and plans on playing basketball again next season for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
“It feels so good to be home!” Griner posted to Instagram on Friday in her first public statement since her release. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
Griner left the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, eight days after the US basketball star arrived at the facility following her release from a Russian penal colony as part of a prisoner swap, CNN reported.
Griner arrived at the medical centre last Friday after US officials secured her freedom from Russia in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner, 32, a star of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Mercury, was arrested on Feb. 17 at an airport outside Moscow for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
She was subsequently convicted of drug smuggling and transferred to one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies, where former inmates have described torture, harsh beatings and slave labour conditions.
(With inputs from AP)
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