The 2022 February Flying Gold-Measure winner returns to UMMC Ekaterinburg for Work: The Beginning of An Unprecous Period in Her Life

The two-time Olympic gold-medalist spent nearly 300 days in Russian custody after being detained in February 2022 and sentenced to nine years in prison under drug-smuggling charges after authorities in the country found cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner, who the US State Department deemed wrongfully detained, was released last December in a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

A WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner had flown to Moscow in February 2022 to rejoin UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s team she has played for in the off-season since 2014.

A statement was released by Alfred A. Knopf, which said it was the beginning of an “unprecous period in my life.”

“That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” she said in the news release. “The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud.”

The US State Department accused Russian authorities of wrongly detaining Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter. The American is currently held in Russian custody.

Russia has been a popular playing destination for top WNBA athletes in the offseason, with some earning salaries over $1 million — nearly quadruple what they can make as a base WNBA salary. She pleaded guilty to having cannabis oil in her possession, but still faced trial because of what she said was hasty packing.

A Conversation with Gillian Griner, the First Openly Gay Olympic Gold Medal Winner and “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court”

In Tuesday’s press statement, Knopf said that the book would be “intimate and moving” and that Griner would disclose “in vivid detail her harrowing experience of her wrongful detainment (as classified by the State Department) and the difficulty of navigating the byzantine Russian legal system in a language she did not speak.”

An advocate for equal pay for women athletes, and the first openly gay athlete to get an endorsement with Nike, Griner is also a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. She is the author of one previous book, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” published in 2014.

“After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. The news release said readers would hear the story and comprehend why they were so thankful for the support.