2022 was quite an eventful year for the sporting world, especially for the basketball community. On one hand, Stephen Curry won his fourth NBA championship, while on the other hand, the WNBA star Brittney Griner had a tough year because of her detention in Russia.

And when talking about Griner, her arrest became a worldwide phenomenon. And considering that, she is probably the most suited personality to win the ES’ Most Viral Athlete Off-the-Court Award this year. Notably,?when 2022 began, not many would have predicted that Griner would be one of the most viral athletes in the world for the year. Like many athletes, celebrities, and people around the world, the WNBA champion’s 2022 began with celebrations and huge expectations. However, things took a shocking turn.

During the WNBA offseason, Griner has been playing overseas basketball ever since she became a pro. After playing in China in the 2013-14 offseason, she started playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League in the 2014-15 offseason. It was one of the best teams in Europe boasting multiple WNBA stars. Russian basketball clubs are known to pay good salaries to their players. While Griner earned around 227,000 per year in the WNBA, she reportedly earned over $1 million every year playing in Russia. But there are risks involved and Griner, unfortunately, learned it the hard way.

Brittney Griner detained in Russia

In the wake of the new year in 2022, things were getting increasingly serious between Russia and Ukraine. Some WNBA stars, including Brittney Griner, were in Russia to play in the Russian Premier League. On February 17, 2022, Griner was detained for carrying vape cartridges that contained small amounts of cannabis oil at the Sheremetyevo airport outside of Moscow.

Before she was detained, the Phoenix Mercury star called her spouse Cherelle Griner and told her she was taken to a separate room and asked to wait. It was midnight in the U.S. and Cherelle did not think it would be something very serious. After that, she was arrested, but there was no public announcement.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the stance of the U.S. complicated the efforts of bringing her back home. Then on March 5, the New York Times reported The Russian Federal Customs Service’s announcement of Griner’s arrest and charges. The 8-time WNBA all-star was charged with carrying and possessing drugs and faced a maximum sentence of 10 years.

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On March 6, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the country will provide help to every citizen held on foreign soil.

WNBA players started showing their support as things were moving at a very low pace when Griner’s detainment was extended to investigate the case. Also, the WNBA commissioner announced the league is doing everything it can to bring Griner back. Then the NBA commissioner announced the league is working for her return.

Sentenced to nine years in prison

Support for Brittney Griner started pouring in from athletes and celebrities. Griner’s detainment took center stage when the Boston Celtics showed their support during the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Celtics players were seen wearing shirts that read “WE ARE BG”. Cherelle Griner requested President Joe Biden for the release of her spouse. The U.S. government classified Griner as wrongfully detained.

On July 1, Griner’s trial began, and she pleaded guilty but said she accidentally packed the cannabis oil while she was in a hurry. She also noted that breaking the law was not her intention. During the trial, Griner’s Russian teammate and the GM of UMMC Ekaterinburg appeared and spoke highly of her character. Her lawyers also argued that Griner was using medical cannabis to treat her pain from multiple injuries.

On August 4, Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison and was fined 1 million rubles. Then, her attorneys filed for an appeal. The nine-year sentence caused major outrage in the country. Many celebrities and fans showed their frustration as they believed the sentence was too harsh for her alleged crime. Many claimed Russia is using Griner as a “political pawn”.

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Amidst all this, there were also rumors about a possible prisoner swap. The rumors suggested Griner could be released in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

Griner’s time in the Russian penal colony and release

After the nine-year sentence, there were fears about Brittney Griner being moved to a Russian penal colony. The Russian penal colonies are infamous for their extreme conditions, where prisoners are forced to do hard labor for 16 to 17 hours per day. There were multiple reported cases of racism and homophobia in these prisons. Former inmates of these prisons revealed the brutal conditions they experienced during their time. This sparked concerns about her health and well-being. Even though there were rumors about a prisoner swap deal, it was not concrete. So there was a lot of focus on the appeal.

President Joe Biden met Cherelle Griner at the Oval Office and assured her about the efforts of the country to bring Griner back. Then on October 25, Griner’s appeal was rejected and the nine-year sentence was upheld. On November 17, she was moved to the Female Penal Colony IK-2 in Mordovia.

Now it looked like a prisoner swap deal would be the only way Griner could be released. Both countries engaged in a series of negotiations. Then came reports Griner could be released before the end of the year. However, Russia maintained the prisoner swap deal might not happen before the end of the year. Also, Russia suggested the deal should not be public. So there were fears Griner’s release might be delayed.

Then on December 8, Brittney Griner was released by Russia in exchange for Viktor Bout. Griner touched on U.S. soil after ten months in captivity and was taken to the military base in San Antonio. She was evaluated at the medical center in the base and was reported as healthy. As she was reunited with her family, many fans celebrated her return.

On December 16, the two-time Olympic champion released her first public statement where she thanked everyone who helped and supported her release. Griner promised she is ready to help the government in the release of every American citizen that is wrongfully detained in a foreign prison.