WNBA star Brittney Griner is opening up about her time in Russian prison.
Griner, 33, has spoken before about her detainment, a result of her February 2022 arrest for smuggling charges related to cannabis oil discovered at a Moscow airport, but this will be the Phoenix Mercury center’s first time doing so in a sit-down interview setting.
A trailer for the interview was released on Monday, and an emotional Griner can be seen recalling life inside Russian custody.
When she was told she could be facing nine years in a penal colony, Griner faced immense fear, she told Robin Roberts.
“I was just so scared for everything because it was just so much unknown,” Griner said.
She dived into details describing the horror of the confinement conditions and even alluded to thoughts of suicide.
“There was a huge knife sitting on the table, and I was just like, ‘No, this is gonna be a ride. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive,’” Griner said. “The mattress had a huge bloodstain on it. … I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human.”
“I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” she added.
On Dec. 8, 2022, President Joe Biden secured Griner’s release after she had spent less than a year in Russian custody.
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The Biden administration exchanged Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The interview is set to air May 1 on ABC’s 20/20.
