Brittney Griner Writing Book About Her Russian Detainment

After spending nearly 10 months in Russian captivity for a drug offense, WNBA star Brittney Griner will talk about her experience in a book.

The memoir, currently untitled, is set to be released in Spring 2024. It will be published by Alfred A. Knopf.

“That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released by the publishing house.

On Feb. 17, 2022, Griner was arrested at an airport in Moscow when cannabis oil was found in her luggage. She insisted that they were accidentally packed while she was rushing to make her flight, but the Russian government still sentenced her to nine years in prison for the crime. In December of that year, President Joe Biden’s administration announced it had agreed to a prisoner swap with Russia. In exchange for Griner, the US released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner was in Russia to play basketball. She’d been going there every WNBA offseason since 2014 because the player salaries offered in Russia can be substantially larger than those in the US league.

“The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud,” Griner said in the statement. “After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world.”

In the statement, Griner also said wants her book to raise awareness for other Americans designated as wrongfully detained by the US government. That includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who’s been accused of espionage by the Russian government, and Paul Whelan, the US Marine who’s been in Russian custody since 2018.