Cherelle Griner Brittney Griner’s wife says Today My Family Is Whole After WNBA Star’s Prison Release.

36

Cherelle Griner Brittney Griner’s wife says Today My Family Is Whole After WNBA Star’s Prison Release. Cherelle Griner, Brittney Griner’s wife, says her “family is whole” again after the WNBA star was released from Russian custody.

Cherelle spoke about her wife’s release during a press conference hosted by Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, shortly after news broke that Brittney, 32, had been released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange for a convinced arms dealer.

“So, you all have been privy to one of the darkest moments of my life over the last nine months, and so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration,” she began.

Read more: Release Of Brittney Griner From A Russian Prison In Exchange For A Convicted Arms Dealer

Noting that Biden, 80, previously stated that repatriating an American citizen from overseas detention “is not easy,” Cherelle said, “There have been so many hands involved, and so I’d like to take a moment to specifically mention a few.”

Cherelle added, “Today my family is whole, but as you all are aware, there are so many other families who aren’t whole,” referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and Griner’s fellow Phoenix Mercury basketball players, among many others. She then mentioned Paul Whelan, another American still imprisoned in Russia and not included in the Griner swap.

“Thank you for your support, and today is just a happy day for my family and me, so I’m going to smile right now,” Cherelle said. “I appreciate it.”