WNBA legend Brittney Griner went into disturbing detail about what she experienced as an inmate in a Russian prison.

In February 2022, Brittney Griner was arrested at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow for carrying less than a gram of hash oil. Six months later, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Upset and concerned citizens called for President Joe Biden and the White House to bring Griner safely back into the United States. American officials were able to agree to a one-for-one prisoner swap, with Griner returning to the U.S. and convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout getting sent back to Russia.

During an interview with former NFL quarterback Cam Newton on his “Funky Friday Podcast”, Brittney Griner revealed the disturbing crimes that her cellmate committed. The cellmate became loathed inside the prison walls, to the point where other prisoners “tortured” her:

“I had a cellmate in the very beginning. I thought something was off with her. She acted like a child, but she was a grown woman, but she very much acted like an adolescent child. And then she had burn marks all over herself, and I found out after the fact that she was selling videos online of her husband and her child — together. And that’s who they had me in a cell with…

“There’s not a lot of torturing from inmates with girls on the women’s side. But if you in there for something like that, yeah, you going to get tortured. And they would put their cigarettes out on her and make her sleep at the door, too…I didn’t really sleep at night ‘cause she be over there singing and doing weird stuff at night.”

Griner and her wife, Cherelle, had their first child together last year. With Griner safely back in her home country, blessed with the gift of parenthood, things are going just fine for the basketball legend.

2022 was a nightmare of a year for Brittney Griner, her family and friends. But she never gave up on the dream of coming home, a dream that soon became a reality.

Brittney Griner Is Wrapping Up Her First Season With The Atlanta Dream

Brittney Griner (Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)
Griner played for the Phoenix Mercury from 2013 to 2014, leading the franchise to the WNBA Championship in her sophomore season. The 10-time All-Star left Phoenix after the 2024 campaign to sign with the Atlanta Dream.

The 34-year-old Griner is averaging 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game in year one with her new team. Atlanta is sitting comfortably in a playoff spot with a 14-10 record, tied with the Seattle Storm for the No. 4 seed, and just 1.5 games behind Phoenix for third