Brittney Griner on Coming Home

from Sports In America with David Greene · host WHYY | PRX

The WNBA officially kicks off this weekend, with its first regular-season game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. And the Sun will be appearing on the court with a brand new weapon: Brittney Griner, a 10-time WNBA all-star and three-time Olympic gold medalist.You might consider it a miracle that we get to watch Griner play at all. That’s because, in 2022, she found herself behind bars in a Russian prison. She wasn’t sure when, or if, she would make it home to her family — or to basketball — again. In this episode, Brittney Griner tells her story: from joining the WNBA as a first-round draft pick, to being locked away in a Russian penal colony, to finally coming home.Show Notes Coming Home by Brittney Griner and Michelle Burford Why Brittney Griner was in Russia and what it has to do with U.S. women's basketball | NPR Photos: Brittney Griner freed from Russian penal colony in high-level prisoner swap | LA Times Basketball’s Gender Pay Gap is Worse Than You Think | Vice Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineer: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

What this episode covers

The WNBA officially kicks off this weekend, with its first regular-season game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. And the Sun will be appearing on the court with a brand new weapon: Brittney Griner, a 10-time WNBA all-star and three-time Olympic gold medalist. You might consider it a miracle that we get to watch Griner play at all. That’s because, in 2022, she found herself behind bars in a Russian prison. She wasn’t sure when, or if, she would make it home to her family — or to basketball — again. In this episode, Brittney Griner tells her story: from joining the WNBA as a first-round draft pick, to being locked away in a Russian penal colony, to finally coming home. Show Notes Coming Home by Brittney Griner and Michelle Burford Why Brittney Griner was in Russia and what it has to do with U.S. women's basketball | NPR Photos: Brittney Griner freed from Russian penal colony in high-level prisoner swap | LA Times Basketball’s Gender Pay Gap is Worse Than You Think | Vice Show Credits Host: David Greene Executive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom Grahsler Senior Producer: Michael Olcott Producer: Michaela Winberg Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa Talent Booker: Britt Kahn Engineer: Mike Villers Tile Art: Bea Walling Theme Song: Emma Munger Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

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This episode is 50 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 7, 2026.

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