BREAKING: WNBA Star Brittney Griner Freed From Russian Prison In Swap For Arms Dealer

WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed from Russian captivity Thursday in a prisoner exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer, White House sources told The Associated Press.

Griner, who was arrested in February at a Moscow airport after being caught with marijuana vaping materials, was sentenced in August to nine years in prison. The 6-foot, 9-inch athlete plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and had flown to Russia to finish her season for UMMC Ekaterinburg when she was arrested.

U.S. diplomats had been scrambling to win her release, but the efforts were complicated by Russia’s international isolation as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. agreed to the swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout, an international criminal known as the “Merchant of Death.”

The U.S. had hoped to win the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan man jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that the U.S. government said are baseless. But the deal set to be announced on Thursday was a one-for-one, sources said.

Griner was arrested February 17 after landing in Moscow to begin play for a Russian team. WNBA players can make far bigger salaries playing in Europe and Asia during the league’s off-season than they can earn in the United States, where interest in women’s basketball is limited.

Griner, who was a three-time All-American at Baylor University, has starred for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury as well as UMMC Ekaterinburg, a team based in Yekaterinburg, Russia, since 2015. The team competes in the Russian Premier League and FIBA Europe’s EuroLeague. Griner helped the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team win gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

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