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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Charles Curtis

Brittney Griner is coming home after after prisoner swap with Russia. Here’s everything we know so far

Brittney Griner Joe Biden Russia Prison BG CBS

Brittney Griner is finally coming home.

Thank goodness!!!!!!!!!

The WNBA player has been held in Russian prisons for months after being detained due to Russian customs finding vape cartridges containing hashish oil. That was back in February.

Since then, the sports world and so many others have called for the United States to take action and get her home. Griner herself wrote a letter to President Joe Biden to make sure she wasn’t forgotten.

She was sentenced to nine years in prison, and news of discussions about a prisoner swap began swirling soon after. With reports that she was moved to a penal colony, the news kept getting more and more alarming.

But on Thursday, she’s reportedly coming home. Here’s everything we know (and we’ll update this as more news comes in):

Griner was released due to a prisoner swap with Russia

Per multiple reports including from CBS News: It was a one-for-one exchange with Griner being released and the United States sending international arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia, who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

President Biden confirmed it and said she's on a plane home

Biden is set to speak about it at 8:30 AM ET.

She was in captivity for nearly 300 days

Per CBS: “Per standard procedure for freed U.S. prisoners, Griner was expected to quickly undergo a medical evaluation.”

Reporting on the possible deal was kept under wraps

Some reaction from the basketball world

 

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