On Monday, WNBA star Brittney Griner made a surprise appearance at the MLK Day parade in Phoenix, Arizona.
Griner, who played for the Phoenix Mercury, was released from a Russian prison last month after ten months. News Onyx reported that the two-time Olympic gold medalist was freed from Russian detainment, as President Joe Biden struck a prisoner swap deal for a convicted arms dealer, Viktor Bout.
According to the NY Post, Griner joined the MLK parade and interacted with fans, taking selfies and signing autographs. She also reportedly told the crowd that she was happy to be home and that she missed playing basketball.
HAPPY TO BE HOME: @PhoenixMercury star @brittneygriner makes appearance at #AZMLK Festival in Phoenix.
BG posed for pictures with fans.
Talked about being Houstonians.
Says she’s happy to be home after time in Russian prison.#News #AZ #BG42 #Hoops #WNBA pic.twitter.com/G2ocB8fEqO
— Jonathan McCall (@JonathanMcCall) January 16, 2023
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The appearance at the parade has fans excited for Griner’s eventual return to the WNBA.
In a recent Instagram post, Griner shared, ‘It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith, and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
She continued, “I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”
View this post on Instagram
See Griner sporting her new hairstyle at the MLK parade:
