Brittney Griner Opens Up About Russian Prison for the First Time
Brittney Griner is giving her first sit down interview to talk about her time spent locked up in the Russian prison system, which is known for having harsh and inhumane conditions. The 33-year-old spent a total of 10 months behind bars, after being detained in February 2022 when cannabis oil vape cartridges were found in her luggage.
In the ABC News clip, provided exclusively to People, Robin Roberts asked Griner how she felt when she reached into her bag and felt the cartridges. Though she had been prescribed medicinal marijuana in Arizona, the substance is illegal in Russia.
"My life is over right here," the former WNBA Champion recalled. When asked if she had ever brought cannabis into Russia before, Grinier said, "No. Never."
"I was just so scared for everything," she said through tears, recalling the moment she was sentenced to nine years for the crime, which typically carries a standard sentence of 15 days in Russia.
"There was a huge knife on the table, and I was just like, 'This is going to be a ride.' You got to do what you got to do to survive," Griner remembered in the moment. "The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human."
Later in the clip, Roberts asked if there was a moment that Griner wondered if she should just end it. "Yeah, I just didn't think I could get through what I needed to get through," she tearfully admitted.
"The one-hour 20/20 special, “Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview," will air May 1 at 10 p.m. on ABC, and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu. In addition to Griner's sit down, the special will also feature interviews with her wife Cherelle Griner, her agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas, and Special Presidential Envoy of Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens.
Griner is also releasing a memoir about her detainment in Russia called Coming Home, which hits shelves on May 7.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).