WNBA Star Brittney Griner Announces New Memoir, ‘Coming Home’

Brittney Griner is sharing her story of being detained in a Russian prison through her new memoir, Coming Home, out this May.

Brittney Griner is reflecting on her experience of being detained in a Russian prison. The WNBA player announced the news of her upcoming memoir, Coming Home, to her Instagram on Feb. 6.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BG (@brittneyyevettegriner)

“COMING HOME is a story of hope and survival, of before and after,” wrote the 33-year-old athlete in the shared post with her professional league team, the Phoenix Mercury. “Before, on my way to Russia, a place I’ve called my second home, I was excited to win another title. For eight seasons, I played there, won there, and lived there for long stretches. A short time later and a world away, I woke up in an after I’d wish on no one. COMING HOME begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets. But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”

Griner wrote the book with the additional authorship of Michelle Burford, detailing her experience and aftermath of her imprisonment in Russia from February 2022 until December of that year. While flying into Moscow to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season, the athlete was arrested on smuggling charges for bringing cartridges containing medically prescribed hash oil, as cannabis is illegal in Russia.

She pleaded guilty in her trial in July, subsequently being sentenced to nine years in prison, although U.S. officials declared her “wrongfully detained,” as confirmed by The New York Times. However, the national outcry for her release, with the hashtag #FreeBrittney, led to her being granted freedom in a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer.

Upon her return to the U.S., Griner went back to playing professional women’s basketball with the Mercury, with another deal with Disney announced in December for her to produce projects centering on the ordeal. In the meantime, her debut memoir on the heart-wrenching story is set for release on May 7, 2024. Pre-orders are available now.