Brittney Griner’s “Mental Lapse” Leads to Russian Imprisonment and Prisoner Swap

The famous WNBA star Brittney Griner found herself behind bars at a Russian airport back in 2022 after authorities discovered cannabis oil cartridges hidden within her luggage as she made her way to return to Russia to compete. However, rather than offer any concrete explanations for the incident, Griner simply attributed it all to an apparent “mental lapse”. She also confessed that this mistake was more on a grand scale but claimed that such incidents can happen easily enough in everyday life as well – like forgetting your keys inside a parked car or not knowing where you put your phone. In an exclusive interview with Robin Roberts for ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’, Griner revealed her thoughts during the search, which she described as “everything I’m not gonna see”. She went on to explain that all she could think about was how everything she had worked so hard for might fall apart now in light of these charges and also voiced concerns over public opinion. In December 2021, Griner spent around ten months imprisoned before being part of a prisoner swap deal between the US and Russia which saw arms dealer Viktor Bout released from prison as well. The Phoenix Mercury center returned to her team last season where she was selected for All-Star duties yet again (a career best 8th time) while competing at two Olympics over her lifetime – all in glittering style.