Brittney Griner updates: WNBA star reunites with wife

Brittney Griner was swapped for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

ByJustin Fishel, Mark Osborne, Emily Shapiro, Patricio Chile, and Jon Haworth
Last Updated: December 16, 2022, 10:46 AM EST

The U.S. has swapped WNBA star Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a senior U.S. official.

The basketball star was taken into custody at a Moscow area airport in February in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia.

Griner pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 7. She appealed the sentence, but was quickly rejected in October.

Key headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 09, 2022, 8:31 AM EST

Video shows Griner’s wife hearing she’s on her way home

The White House has shared video of the moment Thursday morning when President Joe Biden told Cherelle Griner her wife was on the way home.

"She's on the ground," Biden told Griner as they hugged.

"Stop it," she replied.

'Yep. She's on the ground," Biden said as she hugged him again.

The video also shows Griner exclaim, "It’s just such a good day!” as Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on, beaming.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Dec 09, 2022, 8:17 AM EST

Kirby says Griner ‘appears to be in good health’

Brittney Griner is “in very good spirits” and “appears to be in good health," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

"We've talked to our team on the ground who met her there [in San Antonio] as well as the team that traveled overseas with her on that airplane,” Kirby said. “She's now going to go to the treatment facility, she's going to get looked after by docs and nurses there, just to make sure everything is OK.”

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Dec 09, 2022, 6:21 AM EST

Brittney Griner arrives back in the United States

A plane believed to be carrying Brittney Griner landed in the U.S. early Friday, nearly 10 months after she was detained in Russia.

PHOTO: TOPSHOT - American basketball star Brittney Griner gets out of a plane after landing at the JBSA-Kelly Field Annex runway on December 9, 2022 in San Antonio, after she was released from a Russian prison in exchange for a notorious arms dealer.
TOPSHOT - American basketball star Brittney Griner gets out of a plane after landing at the JBSA-Kelly Field Annex runway on December 9, 2022 in San Antonio, after she was released from a Russian prison in exchange for a notorious arms dealer. - WNBA player Griner, 32, who was arrested in Russia in February on drug charges, was expected to be transferred to a nearby military facility for medical checks, US media reported.
Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

The Gulfstream jet landed at about 5:30 a.m. ET at San Antonio’s Kelly Air Force Base.

Dec 08, 2022, 10:14 PM EST

Griner family thanks Biden administration

Brittney Griner’s family in a statement Thursday night offered their “sincere gratitude” to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing the WNBA star home.

The family also expressed their gratitude to former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Mickey Bergman, the executive director of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, for their help in facilitating the release.

The statement thanked the family of Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine still held captive in Russia, for their support during “a heartbreaking time.”

“We pray for Paul and for the swift and safe return of all wrongfully-detained Americans,” the statement said.

Griner is expected to arrive in the U.S. late Thursday or early Friday.

Related Topics