Basketball star Brittney Greiner is set to recount her “heartbreaking experience” of being detained, arrested and imprisoned in Russia in a memoir. The Alfred A. Knopf publishing house received the right to publish them.
Greiner was released from a Russian prison on December 8, 2022, thanks to a high-level agreement between the United States and Russia in which Greiner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was serving a sentence of jail in the United States.
A two-time Olympic champion with Team USA, who played in the WNBA offseason for Yekaterinburg women’s basketball club UMMC, Greiner was arrested in February 2022 at Sheremetyevo airport for carrying vape cartridges with hash oil in his luggage.
“That day (in February) marked the beginning of an incomprehensible period in my life that I am only now ready to share,” Greiner said in a press release, “Readers will hear my story and understand why I am so grateful for the expression of support for me from people around the world.”
In early August 2022, a Russian court found Greiner guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
Greiner said she hopes her memoir, which will have a co-author, will help raise awareness about other Americans illegally detained overseas.
In her memoir, she also wants to address the pay disparity between women and men on American basketball teams, which has led Greiner to work part-time in Russia during the offseason since 2015.
Greiner explained in a press release that “the main reason she returned to Russia that day (of her arrest) was because she wanted her wife, family and teammates to be proud of her.” . “After 10 incredibly difficult months in detention, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home,” she wrote.
In February of this year, Greiner signed a new one-year contract with his basketball club Phoenix Mercury, which will open the 2023 season on May 19 in Los Angeles against the Sparks.
In the first home game (May 21), the Phoenix Mercury plans to celebrate Greiner’s return with a special ceremony.
In early April, the basketball player urged the White House to seek the release of WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich, arrested in the Russian Federation.
“Our hearts are filled with great concern for Evan Gershkovich and his family following Evan’s detention in Russia. We must do everything in our power to bring him and all Americans home,” wrote Greiner: “Every American they hold is our fight, and every returning American is a win for all of us.”
Read the latest news about the Ukraine conflict on The Eastern Herald .
