WNBA star Brittney Griner reflects on ‘mistake’ that led to agonizing arrest in Russia on ’20/20′ special

WNBA star Brittney Griner spoke for the first time about her harrowing months-long detention in Russia and the “mistake” that sentenced her to nine years in prison on a special edition of “20/20” airing tonight on 10 pm ET on ABC.

“I could visualize everything I worked so hard for just falling apart and disappearing,” Griner told “GMA” co-host Robin Roberts.

Griner, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after being accused of having live ammunition. of vaping. It contains cannabis oil, which is illegal in the country.

Recounting the “mental lapse” that led her to forgetting the cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage, Griner said she had woken up late the morning she was sent to travel to Russia to play during the WNBA offseason and He packed his bags while he was there. “in panic mode.”

“My packing at the time was just throwing all my stuff in there, zipping it up and saying, ‘Okay, I’m ready,'” she told Roberts.

Griner, who reflects on the experience in “Coming Home,” a memoir to be published May 7, recalled the sinking feeling he had when he realized he had forgotten two cartridges of cannabis oil in his luggage after that security asked him to pass. his bag at the airport.

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“I could visualize everything I worked so hard for just falling apart and disappearing.”

Griner was arrested and, after her trial was delayed for several months, pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, saying that vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil were inadvertently in her luggage. She testified that she had “no intention” to violate Russian law and packed the cartridges by accident.

“You know there are those who say, ‘Come on. How did you not know you had cartridges in your luggage?'” Roberts asked.

“Of course, my mental lapse was on a larger scale. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen,” he added.

The US State Department classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” in May 2022, allowing additional resources to be brought to bear on her case as the Biden administration worked to secure her release.

Griner reflected on poor living conditions in prison while awaiting trial, saying he didn’t always have toilet paper and that the toothpaste he was given had expired about 15 years ago.

“That toothpaste was expired,” he said. “We used to put it on the black mold to kill the mold on the walls.”

“The mattress had a huge blood stain and they give you these two thin sheets,” he added. “So you’re basically lying on bars.”

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Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on August 4, 2022, and a judge in October 2022 denied an appeal filed by Griner’s attorneys.

After her sentence, Griner was transferred to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, a labor camp where Griner’s job was cutting fabric for Russian military uniforms.

“What were the conditions there?” -Roberts asked.

“Really cold,” Griner said. “It’s a work camp. You go there to work… there’s no rest.”

Griner said the frigid temperatures were affecting her health and led her to cut off her long dreadlocks.

“What was it like to lose that part of you too?” Roberts asked Griner.

“Honestly, it had to happen. We had spiders on top of my bed, making nests,” she said.

During her detention, top athletes and Griner’s family, including his wife Cherelle Griner, openly advocated for her release and continually called on the Biden White House to intervene and bring her home.

Amid growing pressure on the White House to secure her freedom, Griner was released on December 8, 2022, after the United States agreed to exchange her for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

“You said you felt like you let yourself down, your family, your teams… how did you get over that?” -Roberts asked.

“I don’t think I’m all the way through it,” Griner said. “At the end of the day, it’s my fault. And I let everyone down.”

Griner reflected on the moment she found out she was being released, saying, “I was very excited,” but added that she was disappointed that Paul Whelan, another American wrongfully detained in Russia, was left behind.

“I was like… you’re seriously not going to let this man come home right now?” Griner said of Whelan, who was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison.

Since her release, Griner has become an outspoken advocate for Americans unjustly detained abroad.

In a heartfelt Instagram post on December 16, 2022, thanking those who advocated for his release, Griner promised to “do everything I can to help” bring home other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” Griner wrote. “I will use my platform to do everything I can to help them. I also encourage everyone who helped bring me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”

Griner’s full exclusive interview will air May 1 on a special edition of “20/20.”

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Eboni Griffin, Joseph Diaz, Gail Deutsch, Susan Welsh, Netsanet Negussie, Kaitlin Amoroso, Danielle Genet and Chris Donovan of ABC News contributed to this report.