Getty Image / Cooper Neill
WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian prison and is set to return home to the United States, according to President Biden. The announcement was made on the morning of Thursday, December 8.
The WNBA and Phoenix Mercury star had been in Russian custody since February after she was arrested on smuggling charges for having a vape cartridge on her when she entered the country. Her trial began in July and she was ultimately found guilty in August and was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison before being transferred to the notorious Russian penal colony IK-2.
During his radio show on Thursday, McAfee addressed Griner’s return and the release of Bout as only he can with a three-minute-long message to the newly freed American. Credit to McAfee, as well, as a simple scroll through the replies to his video will tell you how a majority of his fans feel about an American citizen being freed from Russian captivity.
Somewhat predictably, the segment veered into a discussion about Vin Diesel, who people are jokingly crediting with bringing Griner home after he posted about her on Instagram about a week or so ago saying “he needs her home by Christmas.”
Welcome back to America Brittney Griner#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ZTq0i9Bxjo
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 8, 2022
Griner’s return has been somewhat controversial as it not only came at the expense of “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout in the prisoner exchange, but fellow American prisoner and marine Paul Whelan was not a part of the exchange and remains held in a Russian jail.
Griner, 32 years old, dominated women’s college basketball at Baylor University before the Phoenix Mercury selected her as the #1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. During her WNBA career — all of which has been in Phoenix — the 6′ 9″ center has been named to eight All-Star games and won a WNBA title back in 2014. She’s also a two-time WNBA scoring champion and a two-time United States Olympian.
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