Brittney Griner Returns to U.S. Soil in ‘Good Spirits,’ Immediately Dunks Ball

After returning from a women’s prison 200 miles outside of Moscow, Griner and her wife, Cherelle—who tirelessly advocated for Griner’s return—are staying in a hotel on the base, where ESPN says they are reuniting with other family members and discussing how to ease Griner back into normal life. Her father, Ray, reportedly visited her Saturday with Smoke Shack barbecue. Family members are expected to bring her even more barbecue this week, as they should.

Griner, who typically rocks locs, had them removed in Russia due to freezing temperatures. On Sunday, however, she received a haircut from the San Antonio Spurs’ barber, according to Colas, to fix the one she got two weeks ago. “She thought she was going to be there a while,” Colas added. Several sources close to Griner told ESPN that whenever Griner is ready to leave San Antonio, she will head to a private, secure location, not her Phoenix home.

“There’s no timeline on her return at this point. She’s reintegrating into a world that has changed for her now,” Colas said. “From a pure security standpoint she’s not going to be able to move in the world the way she did. It’s not a fate that she asked for, but I think she’s going to try to utilize her fame for good.”

Despite enduring a soul-crushing 10 months, Roger Carstens, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, told CNN on Sunday that Griner was upbeat for the duration of her 18-hour flight home, “eager” to chat with anyone and everyone after spending the majority of the year with Russian-speaking officials.

“I’ve been in prison for 10 months, listening to the Russians. I want to talk,” Griner said, according to Carstens. She then turned to the flight crew, asking Carstens, “But first of all, who are these guys?”

“And she moved right past me and went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eyes, shook their hands and asked about them, got their names, making a personal connection with them,’’ Carstens told CNN. “It was really amazing.” Griner was also “in good spirits” and “incredibly gracious,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN.

Upon landing, Brittney was able to reunite with Cherelle in a “family room” that had been prepared with Griner’s favorite snacks: Reese’s peanut butter cups, Cheetos and Dr. Pepper. She has also since received a new pair of glasses and a wardrobe from Nike.

“I was left with the impression this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person,” Carstens said. “But above all, authentic. I hate the fact that I had to meet her in this manner, but I actually felt blessed having had a chance to get to know her.”