Current:Home > MyBrittney Griner writing memoir on "unfathomable" Russian imprisonment -Wealth Momentum Network
Brittney Griner writing memoir on "unfathomable" Russian imprisonment
View
Date:2025-04-14 16:09:46
Washington — Brittney Griner will share more about her "unfathomable" experience behind bars in Russia in a memoir set to be released next year, she said Tuesday.
The WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist spent nearly 10 months imprisoned on drug charges in Russia, where she played during the WNBA off-season. Her arrest coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, further complicating negotiations for her release. She was freed in December in a prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
"That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share," Griner said in a news release announcing her yet-to-be-titled memoir from publisher Alfred A. Knopf.
"The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud," she said. "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."
Griner said she hopes her book also brings awareness to the cases of other Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad, including Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on espionage charges; Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was recently arrested in Russia; and journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared more than a decade ago in Syria.
"Griner discloses 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," Knopf said in Tuesday's statement. "Griner also describes her stark and surreal time living in a foreign prison and the terrifying aspects of day-to-day life in a women's penal colony."
After her return to the U.S., Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury on a one-year contract.
- In:
- Paul Whelan
- WNBA
- Brittney Griner
- Russia
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at caitlin.yilek@cbsinteractive.com. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait
TwitterveryGood! (8)
Related
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- After a pregnant New York teacher collapses in classroom and dies, community mourns
- 3 men face firearms charges after Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting, authorities say
- 1 dead and 1 missing after kayak overturns on Connecticut lake
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Valerie Bertinelli is in a relationship after divorce: 'I’m incredibly grateful for him'
- Indianapolis Colts sign 2023 comeback player of the year Joe Flacco as backup quarterback
- Waymo’s robotaxi service expands into Los Angeles, starting free rides in parts of the city
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Viral bald eagle parents' eggs unlikely to hatch – even as they continue taking turns keeping them warm
Ranking
- Average rate on 30
- Kemp signs Georgia law reviving prosecutor sanctions panel. Democrats fear it’s aimed at Fani Willis
- Massachusetts governor to pardon hundreds of thousands with marijuana convictions
- What is Pi Day? The day combines math and dessert for a sum that comes full circle
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- A proposal to merge 2 universities fizzles in the Mississippi Senate
- Major snowstorm hits Colorado, closing schools, government offices and highways
- Chrissy Teigen Shows Off Her Boob Lift Scars in Sexy See-Through Dress
Recommendation
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Federal judge finds Flint, Michigan, in contempt over lead water pipe crisis
South Dakota legislator calls for inquiry into Gov. Noem’s Texas dental trip and promo video
Royal insider says Princess Kate photo scandal shows wheels are coming off Kensington Palace PR
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Eli Lilly teams with Amazon to offer home delivery of its Zepbound weight-loss drug
Dorie Ann Ladner, civil rights activist who fought for justice in Mississippi and beyond, dies at 81
Lawyer says Epstein plea deal protects Ghislaine Maxwell, asks judge to ditch conviction