WNBA star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir to recount her “unfathomable” experiences in Russia. She was detained in the country for just under 300 days last year. The former All-Star announced the book in a statement shared on Tuesday. It will release in the spring of 2024.
“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. Authorities arrested Griner on smuggling charges as she passed through customs in Moscow. She was carrying cartridges containing less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil at the time.
Griner continued in her statement: “The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud. 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.” Knopf noted that the book will be “intimate and moving” and that Griner will disclose “in vivid detail her harrowing experience of her wrongful detainment (as classified by the State Department) and the difficulty of navigating the byzantine Russian legal system in a language she did not speak.”
Russia eventually released Griner from captivity in December 2022. She was freed in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. In February, she re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury and plans to play in the team’s upcoming season. The regular season will begin in May.
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