Free, calm, and ready to play... American basketball star Brittney Griner returns to Europe to participate in the Paris Olympic Games, two years after her arrest in Russia. The 33-year-old athlete, who will compete against Japan this Monday, July 29, has drawn attention for her charisma, her 2.06 meters in height, and the story of her last visit to the European continent, where she experienced the darkest moment of her career.
In February 2022, Griner, who was playing for the Russian club Ekaterinburg at the time, was arrested for possessing a vaporizer and a liquid containing cannabis, a prohibited substance in the country. She was sentenced to nine years in prison, before being released in December 2022 in an exchange with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The athlete revealed in an interview with the American network ABC that during the eleven months she was in custody, she contemplated suicide.
The player, considered one of the best in the U.S. basketball association, described the conditions she lived in the Russian jail. "The mattress had a huge bloodstain and they give you very thin sheets, so you are practically lying on bars (...) Also, I had spiders on my bed making nests," Griner commented.
The American also stated that she decided to cut her hair because it was freezing: "It was something that had to happen. My dreadlocks started freezing due to the humidity and cold, and I was getting sick."
After this horrific experience, Griner, who resumed basketball in 2023, is in Paris to represent the United States at the Olympic Games. "I'm fine. Everyone wonders how I feel coming back here after everything I've been through, but I'm fine and safe in France, so I'm really looking forward to playing."
"We see her on the court as a strong and dominant player, but she is the one with the most heart," commented her teammate Diana Taurasi, captain of the United States team, which debuts against Japan this Monday.
For now, Griner aims to win gold with Team USA, with whom she has signed for seven seasons. Thus, the athlete seeks to close this dark chapter to continue with her promising career in basketball, where she stood out from a very young age thanks to her height, shoe size (size 54), and the length of her hands, which she claims are larger than those of LeBron James.