Last year, WNBA player Brittney Griner spent 10 months in a Russian penal colony after being convicted of possessing vape canisters with cannabis oil. She was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February 2022 as Russia began its war with Ukraine.
According to TMZ, the 32-year-old newly re-signed Phoenix Mercury player appeared at the annual Met Gala on Monday evening and walked the red carpet with her wife, Cherelle Griner. After being released from a Russian penal colony five months ago, she mentioned she is steering clear of traveling overseas to play basketball, unless it was to play with the U.S. national team.
“I’m never going overseas to play again unless it’s to represent my country,” Griner said. “The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap … to support our families, to support ourselves. So I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas.”
While attending this year’s Met Gala, she was seen wearing a custom Calvin Klein suit. Vogue did a brief interview with the couple to see how they feel now that Brittney is free. Her wife, Cherelle, spoke of the ordeal of Griner fighting for her freedom just one year ago.
“It’s surreal still,” Cherelle said. “This time last year, I was missing my wife. So to have her right here, to be in this moment — breathtaking.”The world will see more of Griner on the court in a few weeks when the WNBA season starts on Sunday, May 21, in Chicago. Earlier this year, the Phoenix Mercury announced that Griner, who missed last season, had signed a one-year deal with the team.In the last full season she played, she led the league in efficiency rating (26.0), while coming in second place in the scoring category by averaging 20.5 points per game. She was No. 1 in blocks with an average of 1.9 per game, second in field-goal percentage (57.5), and averaged a franchise-record and career-high 9.5 rebounds, which landed her in sixth place during the 2021 season. She also had a single-season franchise-record 16 double-doubles, which increased her franchise record to 57 career double-doubles.We’re excited to see the WNBA star back in action on the court, on the red carpet, and advocating for pay equity in the league.