WNBA

Brittney Griner is planning on returning to the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury next season.

She announced Friday on Instagram she intends to play for the team in 2023 after returning to the United States following a 10-month stint under detention in Russia.

Griner also wrote she was "grateful to each person who advocated for me," including her wife, Cherrelle.

President Joe Biden announced on Dec. 8 that Griner was on her way back to the United States after the Russian government agreed to a prisoner swap.

A Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison on a drug charge in August. She was originally arrested in February for bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country.

Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, Griner's attorneys, announced on Nov. 17 she had been transferred to a Russian penal colony.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during an Aug. 1 press briefing that Russia wasn't negotiating in good faith when the two sides were discussing a prisoner swap that would bring Griner back to the U.S.

Griner was in Russia playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Premier League. She has played for the club since 2014 between WNBA seasons.

The 32-year-old has spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury since being drafted No. 1 overall by the club in 2013. She has been named to the All-Star team eight times, led the league in blocks eight times, won two scoring titles and led Phoenix to a title in 2014.

Phoenix will open the 2023 season on May 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.

Phoenix Mercury star center Brittney Griner dunked as part of a light basketball workout at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio on Sunday and is doing "really, really well" after returning to the United States, agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas told ESPN's T.J. Quinn.

Colas said the seven-time WNBA All-Star hasn't decided if or when she will resume her career with Phoenix.

"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," Colas told Quinn. "She's doing really, really well. She seems to have endured this in pretty incredible ways."

Griner was detained in Russia for 294 days and had been serving a nine-year prison sentence for possession of hash oil.

The U.S. government considered Griner "wrongfully detained" and organized her release via a prisoner swap that freed international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

For now, Griner is staying at Fort Sam Houston with her wife, Cherelle, and has reunited with family as well. Per Colas, Griner should issue a statement "this week."

WNBA star Brittney Griner reportedly spent about 12 hours of an 18-hour flight from Russia back to the United States speaking with members of the flight crew and people on the plane, according to special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens.

"I was left with the impression this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person," Carstens said of CNN's State of the Union Sunday (h/t ESPN). "But above all, authentic. I hate the fact that I had to meet her in this manner, but I actually felt blessed having had a chance to get to know her."

Carstens added Griner was "full of energy, looked fantastic."

Griner, 32, had been detained in Russia for 10 months after Russian authorities said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February. The U.S. State Department's official stance said she had been "wrongfully detained."

Griner was released this past week as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.

On the night he was honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry used his platform to pay tribute to Brittney Griner as she makes her way back to the United States.

Curry opened his speech at the ceremony with thoughts on Griner:

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday morning Griner was on her way back to the United States after Russia agreed to a prisoner swap

Griner was arrested in Russia on a drug charge in February. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in August after pleading guilty in an attempt to accelerate the process for a potential exchange of prisoners.

Athletes from all sports used their platform to speak out for Griner to keep her name at the front of people's minds and potentially help speed the process of getting her home.

After Biden's announcement that Griner was on her way back to the U.S., there was an outpouring of support for the Phoenix Mercury star from her fellow WNBA players:

A United States official told CNN that Griner is expected to land in San Antonio, Texas. She is expected to be back in the country at some point on Friday.

Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe are launching a production company with the hope of providing a larger platform to underrepresented communities.

The couple revealed the launch of the production company A Touch More during an interview with Angelique Jackson of Variety.

"As athletes, we know how powerful our platforms are and the impact we can have on the world," Bird and Rapinoe said in a statement. "A Touch More is a manifestation of our values, and our desire to bring to the surface stories of those who shape and move culture forward. We're incredibly excited for some of the projects we have in the works and can’t wait to share more about this next chapter."

Jackson noted they said they are launching the company to "'bring a touch more understanding, connection, entertainment and conversation to the evolving media landscape' by amplifying narratives around identity, activism and underrepresented communities, including LGBTQ people, POC and women."

Using their voices for positive change is nothing new for Bird and Rapinoe.

Bird was among the WNBA players who wore messages on their jerseys and warm-ups supporting Black Lives Matter while playing inside the WNBA bubble in 2020, while Rapinoe has been at the forefront of the fight for equal pay in women's soccer.

They are also among the best athletes in the history of their respective sports.

Rapinoe has won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal, while Bird is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time WNBA champion.

Brittney Griner's lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, and agent, Lindsay Colas, confirmed Thursday the WNBA star has been relocated to a Russian penal colony in Mordovia, which is approximately 210 miles east of Moscow.

Griner is serving a nine-year sentence after her appeal was denied Oct. 25.

"Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment," her lawyers said in a statement Thursday while also confirming they visited with her this week.

"Despite the fact she is alone and now nearing her ninth month in detention separated from her loved ones, she is trying to stay strong," Colas said in a statement. "At this time, we will not be sharing any further details, but want to express our deepest thanks to the Biden Administration, the Richardson Center, and to everyone who has reached out to offer words of encouragement to her."

Griner, who the United States government has classified as "wrongfully detained," was arrested at a Moscow-area airport Feb. 17 after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage.

She pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges in July but said she was prescribed cannabis to treat chronic pain and packed the canisters inadvertently. The appeal of her nine-year sentence was denied.

Frederik Pleitgen, Kylie Atwood, Eliott C. McLaughlin and Rob Picheta of CNN noted the United States State Department said Wednesday it was in touch with Griner's legal team and "strongly protest[s]" the transfer.

CNN cited a human rights report from the State Department, which revealed prisoners in such penal colonies can be subjected to "solitary confinement or punitive stays in psychiatric units."

Prisoners are also forced into labor at times, although it depends on the specific penal colony.

"Built during the Soviet Union, most of the colonies have been likened to Soviet-era gulags; prison camps that expanded across the region during Josef Stalin’s rule in the mid-20th century," Pleitgen, Atwood, McLaughlin and Picheta wrote.

Longtime Washington Mystics head coach and general manager Mike Thibault will not walk the sidelines next season.

According to The Athletic, Thibault has retired from coaching but will remain with the franchise as GM. His son Eric, who has been an assistant on Mike's coaching staff for their entire 10-year run with Washington, has been elevated to head coach.

Mike Thibault is the winningest coach in WNBA history with a record of 379-289.

After being hired as head coach and GM in December 2012, Thibault led Washington to eight playoff appearances and the WNBA championship in 2019. The 72-year-old also coached the Connecticut Sun for 10 seasons prior to joining the Mystics and was named WNBA Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2008, 2013).

"I am proud to have been the Head Coach of the Washington Mystics the past 10 years. After 55 years in coaching (the last 20 in the WNBA), I feel like it is time to turn this team over to Eric and his coaching staff on the court. He is ready and prepared for it," Thibault stated.

Eric Thibault has spent the last four seasons as associate head coach. While working under his father, the 35-year-old handled player development duties with an emphasis on guards.

In addition to Eric Thibault's promotion to head coach, assistant general manager Maria Giovannetti was also named senior vice president of strategy and vision.

"I am looking forward to my continued role as GM, working together with the incredible energy that Maria, Eric and the rest of the staff bring in order to continue our pursuit of another WNBA Championship," Mike Thibault stated. "Maria will take on an even greater role in the development of our team on and off the court. Needless to say, we have an important off-season ahead."

Thibault was an assistant coach under Cheryl Reeve for Team USA during the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup in Sydney, helping lead the squad to its fourth straight title. He was also on the staff that coached Team USA to the women's gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The Mystics finished 22-14 last season and fell to the Seattle Storm in the first round of the playoffs.

President Joe Biden told reporters he is "determined" to get WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the United States and is hopeful Russian president Vladimir Putin will be willing to work together on a prisoner exchange.

"My hope is that now that the [midterm] election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange," Biden said.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison following a conviction for drug smuggling in August after initially being detained for having hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport in February. She is currently in the process of being transferred to a Russian penal colony after an appeal of her conviction was denied Oct. 25.

"Our primary concern continues to be BG's health and well-being," Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement. "As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public's support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her."

The U.S. State Department has categorized Griner as being wrongfully detained. Biden has attempted to work with Putin for months on a potential prisoner exchange but has not gotten much cooperation from the Russian president, who has long had an adversarial relationship with the United States.

Tensions have skyrocketed between Russia and the United States over aid the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine after Putin ordered an invasion of the bordering country earlier this year. There has not been a direct link between the Griner case and the war in Ukraine, but it's unlikely the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has helped matters.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration made a "substantial proposal" over the summer for the release of Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan. Biden said last month that his administration was in "constant contact" with Russia regarding her release.

Several experts have called Griner a political prisoner.

The WNBA and several of its stars have released statements calling on the Biden administration to bring Griner back to the United States.

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February, is being moved to a Russian penal colony.

According to ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's Russian legal team announced the move Wednesday and noted that the process began Friday. Her team also said that neither they nor Griner's family are aware of exactly where she will be taken.

Quinn added that the lawyers told him transfers can take "weeks or months."

Griner's lawyers, who said they were not told she had been moved until Tuesday, added that it could take up to two weeks before Griner's family receives an update on her location via official mail.

Russian authorities first took Griner into custody on Feb. 17 at an airport near Moscow when she was found to be in possession of vape cartridges containing hashish oil.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She appealed, but the conviction was upheld, prompting United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call it "another failure of justice, compounding the injustice of her detention."

Griner was declared "wrongfully detained" by U.S. officials in May.

Per Quinn, the United States made an offer in June for a potential prisoner swap, but the offer was turned down and the White House said in a statement that there has been a "lack of good faith negotiation" from the Russian government since then.

Despite the lack of success thus far, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the government continues to work to bring Griner home:

"Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long. As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony."

According to Quinn, Griner last spoke to her lawyers Nov. 2, and she hasn't had outside contact with anyone since Thursday, when she met with U.S. embassy officials.

The 32-year-old Griner is widely regarded as one of the best women's basketball players in the world, having earned eight WNBA All-Star selections, two WNBA scoring titles, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and one WNBA championship during her nine seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner, who has also played professionally in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA as well.