Brittney Griner (32) can finally play basketball again. The professional athlete was only released from custody in Moscow last December. There they had been arrested for alleged drug possession at the airport. Thanks to a prisoner exchange, she was able to return home. Now that she has signed a professional contract again, the Olympic champion has finally returned to the basketball court: Brittney is beaming from ear to ear during the first training session.
Brittney’s Phoenix Mercurys team shared the first pictures of her on Instagram. With a fresh hairstyle, she is beaming all over her face and is in a good mood on the basketball court. “There she is,” wrote the team proudly. And the American herself also posted a video at the start of her training session, showing her playing for the team from the US state of Arizona. With a few heart emojis, she captioned, “So good to be back with the family.” She is already familiar with the Phoenix Mercurys team, having played for the club for a number of years until 2021.
After it was initially unclear whether Brittney would play basketball again after her release from prison, the good news came on Monday: she is said to have signed the professional contract on Saturday. However, the contract should initially be limited to one year, i.e. to the coming season.