Thursday the country, and the basketball world in particular, learned that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been freed. In a one-for-one prisoner swap, Griner was released from prison in Russia, where she spent a total of 294 days for drug smuggling after Russian customs found hashish oil cartridges in her luggage, in exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Per CBS News, President Joe Biden provided the crucial update so many fans had been praying for:
“She’s safe. She’s on a plane,” President Biden said at the White House, announcing the exchange.