WNBA star Brittney Griner working on memoir about time in Russian prison

WNBA star Brittney Griner is writing a memoir about her time spent in a Russian prison last year, according to a publishing company.

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According to a news release from publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Griner, 34, is expected to release the book during the spring of 2024.

“After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. 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 the news release.

The 6-foot-9 center, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is returning to the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, was detained in Russia on Feb. 17, 2022, ESPN reported.

She had played during WNBA offseasons for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s team since 2014, ESPN reported. She was traveling to rejoin the team when she was detained.

Authorities at a Moscow-area airport said they found less than a gram of hashish oil in vape canisters in Griner’s luggage, according to The Athletic. Following her arrest, Griner was investigated for the “large-scale transportation of drugs” and went on trial in July 2022, the publication reported.

“That day (in February) was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in the statement released by Alfred A. Knopf.

Griner pleaded guilty to bringing the vape cartridges and cannabis oil into the country and was sentenced to 9 1/2 years in prison, The Washington Post reported. The State Department deemed her to be “wrongfully detained” and launched negotiations aimed at bringing her home.

In November 2022, Griner was transferred to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, according to CBS News.

In December, Griner returned to the U.S. after being released in a prisoner swap. She was released and the U.S. freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Officials attempted to also secure the release of Paul Whelan, an American who has been jailed on espionage charges in Russia since 2018, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

“By writing this book, I also hope to raise awareness surrounding other Americans wrongfully detained abroad such as Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Emad Shargi, Airan Berry, Shahab Dalili, Luke Denman, Eyvin Hernandez, Majd Kamalmaz, Jerrel Kenemore, Kai Li, Siamak Namazi, Austin Tice, Mark Swidan and Morad Tahbaz,” Griner wrote in an Instagram post.

Reagan Arthur, executive vice president at Alfred A. Knopf, called Griner “a trailblazing pioneer in the world of sports for over a decade.”

“Her memoir recounts not only one of the biggest news stories of 2022 but also centers on a personal story of survival and hope,” Arthur said in a statement. “Knopf has published the works of sports heroes such as Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, and Diana Nyad, and now Brittney’s book will proudly stand alongside this legendary list.”

Griner’s first book, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” was published in April 2014.

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Through the years SAN ANTONIO - APRIL 04: Center Brittney Griner #42 of the Baylor Bears is pressured by Tina Charles #31 and Caroline Doty #5 of the Connecticut Huskies during the Women's Final Four Semifinals at the Alamodome on April 4, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)