WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who was released from a Russian jail last month in a prisoner exchange with convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, made an appearance at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Phoenix on Monday. .
Griner marched in the parade along with his wife, Cherelle. He also posed for photos with fans along the route.
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Gold medalists Angel McCoughtry and Brittney Griner celebrate during the medal ceremony at the Rio Olympics on August 20, 2016, Brazil.
(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
«I’m glad to be home,» he told fans during the parade, according to KPNX-TV.
Griner was arrested in February 2022 as she was returning to her Russian basketball team. She was detained at a Moscow airport after bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis-derived oils through the facility. The arrest occurred just before Russia invaded Ukraine and the news did not reach Western media until weeks later.
Now, back home, Griner will take some time to get better acquainted with his surroundings. His return to professional basketball was not immediately clear.
LETTER FROM BRITTNEY GRINER TO HER SUPPORTERS: ‘THANKS TO YOU, I NEVER LOST HOPE’
Brittney Griner sits on the plane as she flies to Abu Dhabi to be exchanged for Viktor Bout, in Russia, on December 9, 2022.
(Russian Federal Security Service via AP)
«If she wants to play, it will be for her to share. She has the holidays to rest and decide what’s next without any pressure,» Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN last month. «She’s doing very, very well. She seems to have weathered this in some pretty incredible ways.»
Griner broke her silence about the entire ordeal in an Instagram post.
Brittney Griner hugs his wife Cherelle after being released from a Russian jail.
(U.S. Army South Photo – Miguel Negrón)
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«It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle in every way. I searched deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that kept me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your help,» he wrote in the post in December.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.