Ten months after leaving the United States to play basketball in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner has landed in her home state of Texas.
Griner was jailed in February for transporting hemp oil to a Moscow airport, and was exchanged Thursday for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bot.
He was flown to San Antonio, where he will receive medical attention.
White House spokesman John Kirby told JEE News Friday morning that Griner was in “good spirits” and “good health.”
President Joe Biden first announced that Greiner was returning home on Thursday. His wife Cheryl Greiner, who attended Mr. Biden’s announcement at the White House, was expected to meet him in San Antonio.
“Brittney has faced an unimaginable situation and we are glad she is going home with her family and friends,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement about her return.
Griner was arrested in February – just days before Russia invaded Ukraine.
She is one of America’s most famous sportswomen. The two-time Olympic champion was a star center for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA during the American basketball season.
The reason for his move to Moscow was to play in Russia during the offseason in the United States. During his trial in Russia, he said the hemp oil found in his bag was an “honest mistake”.
The Biden administration proposed the prisoner swap in July, aware that Moscow had long sought the release of the arms trafficker, known as the Merchant of Death. He has been imprisoned in an American prison for 12 years.
Footage from Russian state media showed him walking the tarmac with his teams. In the video, apparently provided by Russian security services, Bout is greeted warmly by two Russian officials as is Griner, who is 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm) tall. Part of the exchange was then changed, before showing the two parties going their separate ways.
