Brittney Griner wearing a pair of black Chuck Taylor sneakers, phoenix sun Her agent told ESPN.
Her first act is a dunk.
Griner remains at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio — where she was arrested released from a Russian prison last week — there are no immediate plans to leave, said Lindsay Kagawa Colas. And despite the light workout, she said, 32-year-old Griner isn’t ready to say when or if she plans to return to her WNBA career with Phoenix Water.
“If she wants to play, she shares. She has days off to rest and decide what to do next without any pressure,” Colas said. “She’s doing very, very well. It seems like she’s endured this in pretty unbelievable ways.”
Griner has not spoken publicly since her return but will issue a statement “this week,” Colas said.
Griner and her wife, Cherelle, are staying in a base hotel, reuniting with family members and deciding what to do with her freedom. Her father, Ray, and several family members visited her Saturday with a hearty meal from San Antonio’s Smoke Shack. Expect more baked goods in the coming days.
Griner went to get a haircut on Sunday morning from San Antonio Spurs‘ the barber, Colas said, cleans up the dramatic cut she chose to have two weeks ago; Griner’s attorney told ESPN last week that the player’s famously long hair kept freezing in the cold of the Russian penalty colony. It was a simple decision, but was seen as a promising sign that she felt empowered during her incarceration.
“She thought she was going to be there for a while,” Colas said.
When Griner was in the Moscow prison, where she spent most of her time, she turned down a lawyer’s offer to bring her a basketball, saying she wasn’t ready to think about the game yet. But Colas said she wasn’t sure if Sunday’s workout was a step toward Griner’s career comeback.
Several sources close to Griner have said that when she leaves, she will not go to her Phoenix home but to what they describe as a private, secure location.
“There’s no timeline for her return at this point. She’s reintegrated into a changed world for her now,” Colas said. “From a purely security standpoint, she wouldn’t be able to move in the world the way she did. That’s not the fate she asked for, but I think she’ll try to make use of her reputation. his voice for good.”
Colas said Griner will work to bring attention to other Americans deemed wrongfully detained in other countries, particularly Paul Whelan, a former US Marine who spent 4 years in a Russian prison. years for espionage.
Griner is upbeat and sociable with everyone she meets, several sources said, eager to chat after 10 months of confinement in Russia with few English speakers to join with.
Roger Carstens, the US presidential special envoy for hostage affairs, told CNN on Sunday morning that Griner was vivacious and talkative for about 12 of the 18 hours they flew from Abu Dhabi, where Griner was exchanged. on Thursday to pick up Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner’s reunion with his wife took place in a carefully scripted appearance early Friday.
As Cherelle Griner, Colas, and U.S. officials waited for their flight in a large hangar, they began looking for a location where Cherelle could wait for Brittney without being seen by the news cameras outside the base. their enlightenment.
Someone noticed a black “X” taped into a perfect spot on the floor, and Cherelle stood there waiting. After Brittney’s plane landed and went on vacation, a medical team and a psychologist boarded the plane, spent about five minutes with her, after which Griner left the plane, entered the hangar and embrace and kiss her wife for the first time in nearly 10 months, Colas said. Military and government personnel stood about 20 meters away as the women hugged each other tightly. The two then move into a “family room” stocked with some of Griner’s favorite snacks: Reese, Cheetos, and Dr. Pepper.
Griner left the hangar and went to a hospital on the base, where she received a thorough medical and mental health assessment. She also has a new pair of glasses; Her previous pair broke in Russia about a week ago.
Colas said Nike sent Griner a wardrobe to wear, as all Griner brought with her was the few clothes and supplies she had in Russia. One item she brought with her was a photo of a dinosaur sent to her by Drew, Colas’ 6-year-old son, in Russia. Colas said, under the dinosaur, Drew wrote “Say nothing.”
“I think he heard me on the phone too many times,” she said.
