Olympics-Basketball-Griner's journey from Russian prison to Paris Games applauded by US teammate

By Amy Tennery

PARIS (Reuters) - Brittney Griner's "unprecedented" journey back to the Olympic Games, less than two years after she was released from a Russian prison in a saga that rocked American sport, has been applauded by her U.S. teammate Diana Taurasi at the Paris Games.

Twice gold medallist Griner was released from one of Russia's most notorious penal colonies in a high-profile prisoner exchange in December 2022 and returned to the WNBA months later for the 2023 season.

Griner said she would never play abroad again professionally unless it was to compete at the Olympics and she will wear the red, white and blue jersey again as the U.S. begin their campaign for an eighth consecutive gold on Monday.

"What BG's gone through in the last couple of years is obviously unprecedented," Taurasi, who is also her teammate on the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, said on Saturday.

"For her to be able to come back, to get on that flight, to come overseas, it was a big moment for her in a lot of ways. But I'm glad she did it because she's a remarkable person."

The 33-year-old Griner, who had played professionally in Russia, was detained in a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

The player had a prescription in the United States for medical marijuana and pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs but insisted she had made an "honest mistake." Griner spent nearly 10 months in detention.

"Not saying that, you know, the minute she got back from that she was the happiest person on earth. But she found a way to navigate all those emotions and all those situations to move forward," said Taurasi.

U.S. republican lawmakers, including former President Donald Trump, were critical of the deal that saw Griner released in exchange for the arms dealer Viktor Bout, while those in the WNBA and in U.S. sport celebrated her release.

"We see her on the court as being an intimidating, dominant force, but I always say she's the person with the biggest heart," Taurasi told reporters.

"And I think that's why people went to bat for her so hard, because they know what kind of person she is."

Griner said earlier this week that she felt comfortable at the Games - though reiterated that she would not play abroad again in any professional capacity.

"Everybody's thinking about how it is for me coming back overseas and all that after everything I went through," she said. "But it's good. I feel good being here, being in France. I feel safe. I feel great."

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)