Brittney Griner has been making appearances a lot more often than before. Ever since returning to the United States, the athlete has been more or less silent toward the media. She was invited to the 2023 Correspondent Dinner along with her wife Cherelle, and several other guests. It was a beautiful evening as the entire crowd also acknowledged Griner’s presence.
While standing at the podium, President Joe Biden was the first to acknowledge the presence of the former WNBA Champion. Both of them have been in close contact with each other. Biden is especially closely connected to the Griner family after what conspired over the last year. The White House guests all rose to the occasion and applauded Brittney.
Biden shouts out Brittney Griner at the WHCA dinner pic.twitter.com/BaensTMXJs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2023
“This time last year we were afraid for you Brittney. Hope that you know how hard all of us were fighting for your release. It’s great to have you home. Boy, I can hardly wait to see you back on the court, kid. Remember your promise, I get to bring my granddaughter to see you right?” said Biden. After the President said this, Griner shook her head indicating that she remembered their deal.
How did President Joe Biden bring back Brittney Griner?
The two-time Olympian was arrested in Moscow, Russia, last year. She was caught with vape cartridges in the luggage at the Sheremetyevo Airport. For several weeks, the Russians would not allow direct communication between Brittney Griner and her family or representatives in the US.
a Griner was only allowed to write letters to people back at home. The Russian authorities found her guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
Biden and his team worked relentlessly for ten months to secure Brittney back to the States. With several failed attempts to convince the authorities that she is innocent, Biden was left with only one option and finally agreed to send Viktor Bout back to his homeland.
Bout was a convicted illegal arms dealer from Russia, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was booked for conspiring to kill people and folding terrorist organizations as well. In December, the prisoner swap occurred in an Abu Dhabi airport. A CCTV video of both parties exchanging prisoners on the airport tarmac was also released.