Griner in ‘good spirits’ in US after Russian prisoner swap

Griner in ‘good spirits’ in US after Russian prisoner swapSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States Friday and was reunited with her wife nearly 10 months after her detention in Russia made the basketball star the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm. The deal that brought home Griner, 32, in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star, was seen getting off a plane that landed Friday at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. Griner pleaded guilty in July but still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday's swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu Dhabi and Bout had been flown home.