After spending ten months in prison in Russia, basketball player Brittney Griner will return to play in the WNBA

The figure of women’s basketball Britney Grinerwho spent ten months in prison in Russia in 2022, will play again in the next season of the WNBA with his team, Phoenix Mercuryaccording to local media.

Griner, 32, signed up for a campaign with the Mercurys, the franchise he played in between 2013 and 2021, in return for a salary of around $160,000, the outlet reported. ESPN. The two-time Olympic champion returned to the United States last December after spending 10 months in prison in Russia.

Griner, who had traveled to that country to play with the team Yekaterinburg During the WNBA’s hiatus, she was arrested at a Moscow airport for possession of a vape and liquid containing cannabis, a product banned in Russia. Sentenced to nine years in prison, Griner was released after lengthy negotiations in an exchange with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

“The last 10 months have been a battle in every way. I searched deeply to keep my faith and it was the love of so many of you that kept me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your help,” he wrote on his Instagram account, now back in the United States. Already at that time, he had anticipated his desire to return to action.

“I intend to play basketball for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA this season, and in doing so, I hope to be able to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has supported me, written and posted messages for me. “, she had then announced. . And, although Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, has slipped that she would give Griner all the time she needs to define her future, the best therapy for Brittney is to be in a stadium and with the orange ball. in his hands. .

The 2.06m tall center hasn’t competed in the WNBA since the 2021 season, in which she propelled the Mercury to the Finals, in which they lost to the Chicago Sky. In 2014, she was one of the leaders of the team that won the third ring in franchise history. The Mercury will kick off the new WNBA season on May 21 against the Los Angeles Sparks.

With information from AFP

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