Brittney Griner Set To Release 'Raw' & 'Emotional' Memoir On Her Experience In A Russian Prison

Brittney Griner has announced that she's releasing a new memoir on her experience in a Russian prison. The book, which is scheduled to debut in 2024, will explore why Griner went to Russia and her time in detainment.

Griner also released a statement saying the day of her arrest was the start of an "unfathomable period." The upcoming memoir will be the basketballer's second book, as she released her first memoir in 2015.

Since Griner's release from prison, she and her wife, Cherelle, have been advocating for other detained Americans. She has also resumed playing for her team, the Phoenix Mercury, under a new one-year player contract. 

Read on to find out more.

Brittney Griner has announced through her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, that she's releasing a new memoir. Per People Magazine, the memoir will share the "raw, emotional" story of Griner's arrest in Moscow and subsequent 10-month detainment in a Russian penal colony.

Griner will reportedly write about the "tumultuous events of 2022 that both reshaped her life and captured the world's attention." The memoir is yet to be titled but is confirmed for release in spring 2024. It will include new details of her living conditions and day-to-day life in a Russian prison.

The memoir's release promises readers that Griner shares "intimate and moving" details about her time in Russia and the #WeAreBG movement that fought for her release. It will also shed light on why the basketball star even chose to play in Russia- because of pay inequity.

In a statement on the memoir, Griner shared that the day of her arrest was the start of "an unfathomable period" in her life. She explained that it was an experience she needed time to process and only recently felt like she could share the "raw" details.

She wrote on her Instagram page, "Readers will hear my story and understand why I'm so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world. By writing this book, I also hope to raise awareness surrounding other Americans wrongfully detained abroad such as Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Emad Shargi, Airan Berry and Shahab Dalili."

Griner also mentioned several more Americans that have been wrongfully detained, like "Luke Denman, Majd Kamalmaz, Kai Li, Siamak Namazi, Mark Swidan and Morad Tahbaz." The upcoming memoir will be the basketball player's second with Knopf, with the first being her 2015 book titled, "In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court."

In December, the U.S. came to an exchange agreement with Russia to swap Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Since her release, she and her wife, Cherelle, have been heavily advocating for other Americans wrongfully detained in Russia.

Griner has been actively fighting for the release of Wall Street journalist Evan Gershkovitch, who was detained on spy charges. In an Instagram post, she and Cherelle wrote, per People, "Our hearts are filled with great concern for Evan Gershkovitch and his family since Evan's detainment in Russia."

They added, "We must do everything in our power to bring him and all Americans home. We are grateful for President Biden and his administration's deep commitment to rescue Americans. We celebrate their recent successful efforts to bring home Jeff Woodke and Paul Rusesabagina. Every American who is taken is ours to fight for and every American returned is a win for us all."

After spending about ten months in Russia for allegedly smuggling "narcotic drugs," Griner returned to America on December 9th, 2022. According to ESPN, she has since returned to her team, the Phoenix Mercury, under a new one-year contract, which pays about $165k.

At the end of the 2021 basketball season, before her ill-fated Russia trip, Griner averaged 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. In the weeks after her release from prison, she made it clear to the press that she planned to return to basketball and sounded very engaging and upbeat about life.

Griner was hailed and supported by many celebrities and companies and even received a new wardrobe from Nike. She also got a free haircut from the official San Antonio Spurs' barber to fix the rough cut she gave herself in the Russian prison.