Current:Home > InvestBrittney Griner: ‘Head over heels’ for Americans coming home in prisoner swap -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Brittney Griner: ‘Head over heels’ for Americans coming home in prisoner swap
SafeX Pro Exchange View
Date:2025-03-12 01:59:45
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Brittney Griner knows only too well the swirling emotions of being involved in a prisoner swap, and she said Thursday night she is “head over heels” that fellow Americans are coming home from Russia.
“Great day. It’s a great day. It’s a great day,” Griner said after the U.S. women beat Belgium 87-74 to clinch a berth in the Paris Games quarterfinals. “We’ll talk more about it later. But head over heels happy for the families right now. Any day that Americans come home, that’s a win. That’s a win.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist went through her own high-profile prisoner exchange with Russia in 2022 after having been sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling that year.
So Griner was thrilled hearing that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, both convicted of espionage charges that the U.S. government considered baseless, were coming home.
Griner didn’t share how she learned of the prisoner exchange, but she said she was “definitely emotional” at hearing the news.
“I’m sure it’ll be emotional even more a little bit later on,” Griner said. Yeah. I’m just happy. Like this is a big win. A huge win.”
Griner returned to the U.S. in December 2022. Now 19 months later, she is playing for the national team, which won its 57th straight at the Olympics. Griner scored seven points while helping the Americans continue their pursuit of an eighth straight Olympic gold medal.
Since returning to America, Griner has taken an active role in helping other Americans detained in foreign countries. She has worked with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed in 2022 by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas.
She also has spoken twice with President Joe Biden, including once in April to keep the detainees “on the forefront of everyone’s mind.”
Paris Olympics
- Simone Biles, fresh off leading the U.S. women’s gymnastics team back to the gold medal in team competition, returns to the mat.
- Take a look at everything else to watch on Day 7.
- See AP’s top photos from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Olympic schedule of events and follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games.
- Which countries are in the lead? Take a look at the Olympic medal tracker.
- Want more? Sign up for our daily Postcards from Paris newsletter.
Griner also has gone through the readjustment to life back in the U.S., something she’s still working through.
“I know they have an amazing group of people that are going to help them out in whatever way they need them and their families,” Griner said of the resources that will be available to Gershkovich and Whelan. “And I’m glad that I was able to go through that program and get reactivated back into everyday life.”
These Olympics are the first time she’s been overseas since her ordeal in Russia. On a train trip from London with her U.S. teammates, Griner felt anxious when she sat in her seat. It was her first time on a train since heading to a Russian prison.
“Walking up to the train I was fine,” Griner told The Associated Press that day. “When I sat down and looked out the window I was like, ‘Damn, last time I was here I was on my way to prison.’ Anxiety started to heighten up. Then I realized I was good, there were no bars. I’m going to win gold.”
Griner turned to Netflix to calm her mind during a simple commute with her U.S. teammates to the Paris Olympics.
“Everything was cool,” she said.
___
AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker contributed.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
veryGood! (666)
Related
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Natural Gas Samples Taken from Boston-Area Homes Contained Numerous Toxic Compounds, a New Harvard Study Finds
- The Decline of Kentucky’s Coal Industry Has Produced Hundreds of Safety and Environmental Violations at Strip Mines
- BaubleBar 4th of July Sale: These $10 Deals Are Red, White and Cute
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
- As some families learn the hard way, dementia can take a toll on financial health
- How the Fed got so powerful
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- The Decline of Kentucky’s Coal Industry Has Produced Hundreds of Safety and Environmental Violations at Strip Mines
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- 25 Cooling Products for People Who Are Always Hot
- Pregnant Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and Son RZA Chill Out in Barbados
- Every Time Margot Robbie Channeled Barbie IRL
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Nearly a third of nurses nationwide say they are likely to leave the profession
- An Energy Transition Needs Lots of Power Lines. This 1970s Minnesota Farmers’ Uprising Tried to Block One. What Can it Teach Us?
- CNN's town hall with Donald Trump takes on added stakes after verdict in Carroll case
Recommendation
Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
Tucker Carlson says he'll take his show to Twitter
Analysis: Fashion Industry Efforts to Verify Sustainability Make ‘Greenwashing’ Easier
Shares of smaller lenders sink once again, reviving fears about the banking sector
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Maryland and Baltimore Agree to Continue State Supervision of the Deeply Troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant
Inside Julia Roberts' Busy, Blissful Family World as a Mom of 3 Teenagers
A new film explains how the smartphone market slipped through BlackBerry's hands