Brittney Griner thought she would return to the United States with fellow Russian captive and American sailor Paul Whelan when she was traded in a ‘controversial’ prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout in 2022, ABC’s Robin Roberts revealed on Tuesday.
Giving a first look at the upcoming GMA interview, Roberts told her co-hosts that the WNBA star addresses the trade that freed her after 10 months of captivity in Russia following her drug arrest in Moscow in February 2022. .
“He said he got on the plane thinking that Paul Whelan would also be on that plane,” Roberts told his co-hosts, while discussing Griner’s organization aimed at helping other Americans imprisoned abroad. “It’s called ‘Bringing Our Families Home,’ to help in the effort to free other detainees.”
The interview will air May 1 as Griner prepares for her second WNBA season since her release. The 6-foot-9, 33-year-old center returned to the league last year to earn her ninth All-Star nod for the Phoenix Mercury. She and her partner Cherelle recently revealed they are now expecting a baby 16 months after she was swapped for Bout in a 1-for-1 deal at an Abu Dhabi airport.
Griner had been sentenced to nine years in Russian prison after being caught with a cartridge of cannabis oil while returning to Russia to resume playing for her European team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. And as she revealed to Roberts, Griner’s first thought upon being arrested amid the growing conflict between Ukraine and Russia was: “My life is over here.”
Brittney Griner seen crying during emotional interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts
The 6-foot-9 Griner is seen with his legs extended in front of ABC’s Robin Roberts.
Whelan, a former Marine accused of espionage, hears the verdict in court in 2020
“I was very scared,” she told Roberts. “There were so many things she didn’t know.”
Griner was eventually sent to the city of Yavas in Mordovia, a region known for its prison camps.
Turns out, his was “one of the worst,” according to Roberts.
Griner described seeing a “huge knife” on a table in the prison camp and thinking, “I was like, no, this is going to be a trip.” Do what you have to do to survive.’
The conditions, he said, were “less than humane.”
Menstrual stains on mattresses and a lack of soap or toilet paper were just some of the indignities she faced.
That all came to an end in December 2022, when she was released in a 1-for-1 exchange that has since been criticized for failing to return Whelan, a U.S. Marine imprisoned on espionage charges in 2018.
Griner and Bout crossed paths on a track in the United Arab Emirates to complete the exchange. Bout, called the ‘Merchant of Death’ by some, was arrested on terrorism charges in 2008 and later convicted in the United States.
Bout, called the ‘Merchant of Death’ by some, was arrested for terrorism in 2008.
Brittney Griner is seen crossing the court in Abu Dhabi after being traded for Viktor Bout
The deal drew criticism from Republicans, who were upset that the White House failed to also hire Whelan. Responding to attacks from the right, White House officials acknowledged that prisoner exchanges are costly and added that they felt obligated to bring Griner home while they had the chance.
With his new book, Griner hopes to help raise awareness among other Americans detained abroad, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in 2023 for alleged espionage, as well as Whelan.
Whelan’s brother said in 2022 that he fears his brother will never be returned, although he stressed that he supported the Biden Administration’s deal to bring Griner home.
“I think we all realize that the math is not going to work out for Paul to come home anytime soon unless the United States government is able to find concessions,” David Whelan said. “And so I think we’re not really sure what the path forward is.”