WNBA star Brittney Griner has released her much-anticipated memoir, Coming Home, in which she speaks candidly about her career, her personal life and her time in detention in a Russian prison. The nine-time women’s basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist account of the harrowing experience of being locked up behind what was metaphorically known as the Iron Curtain curtain is as gripping as it is poignant as she provides intimate knowledge of the horrors from a Black woman’s perspective.
The reverting read, co-written by New York Times bestselling author Michelle Buford, debuted at number one on Amazon’s best-seller list and has received sparkling reviews for its honesty and intimacy.
“Coming Home is a story of hope and survival, of before and after,” Griner, 33, said in a statement. “Before, on my way to Russia, a place I’ve called my second home, I was excited to win another title. For eight seasons I played there, won there and lived there for long stretches. A short time later and a world away, I woke up in an after I’d wish on no one.”
In February of 2022 Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after a Russian judge found her guilty of smuggling and storing illegal drugs. After 10 months of incarceration under harrowing conditions Griner was released in a prisoner swap agreement that is the stuff spy movies are made of. The WNBA star for the Phoenix Mercury, traveled to Russia to play basketball in order to earn a higher salary. She earned $227,000 playing in the WNBA and over $1 million playing in Russia.
Griner shared in a press conference following her release in April of 2023, how she managed to stay hopeful and survive the long-term ordeal.
“I was aware of the efforts and everything that was going on. I was able to see pictures of different things. Being aware of what was going on when you don’t know anything,” Griner said. “You’re like, ‘OK, I know people are fighting for me or bringing awareness to what’s going on.’ Those times where I was able to see what was going on, it definitely made me a little bit more comfortable. It made me have hope, which is a really hard thing to have. A really dangerous thing to have because when it doesn’t work, it’s soul-crushing.”
“When I did lose my hope, looking at photos of my family brought my hope back. Being able to see their faces. That did it for me,” she continued. “In a moment where you want to give up, you look at the photos and it brings you back what you’re waiting on. You’re waiting to be back with your family, with your loved ones in a safe place.”
Coming Home is available in stores and online now.
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