A new photo from the day she flew back home to the Valley from Texas is showing Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner all smiles, surrounded by some of the people she loves the most.
ABC15's Nick Ciletti spoke exclusively to Mercury President Vince Kozar, who was on the homecoming plane, about what that moment was like.
Ciletti: "Take me back to the moment where you actually saw her in person for the first time."
Kozar: "We got off and surprised her and it was just a really special moment I'll remember for the rest of my life."
It was a heartfelt reunion nearly a year in the making. Kozar was there along with teammate Diana Taurasi, BG's wife, Cherelle, and Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman -- for 10 months, they were all a world away, but now, they were finally right beside her just as they'd always been.
Nick: "What was her reaction when she saw you guys for the first time?"
Kozar: "She was elated - and that's what I go back to - people have asked, was it emotional? Were there tears? And there just weren't because she was so excited and we were so excited for just that moment, we had gotten past any of the fear or sadness or anything else that came along with it."
Until that moment and a quick FaceTime call the night before, the only glimpses of BG that Kozar saw were what the rest of the world got - the two-time Olympic athlete and fierce competitor on the basketball court locked up, in handcuffs, and fighting for her freedom thousands of miles from home.
Griner was arrested and detained at a Russian Airport back in February 2022 for having cannabis oil inside her luggage, even though she has a medical license for it here in Arizona. She went to trial, was convicted, then sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison camp -- even cutting off her long hair to keep it from freezing in the brutal Russian cold.
She spoke about all of it on the plane right back to Arizona.
VIDEO: Brittney Griner lands in San Antonio after being released from Russian custody
"We talked about basketball. How much she missed it. What she wanted to do. What our team went through last year without her. It ran the gamut....and as strange as it sounds, it's almost like picking up where you left off," Kozar said. "She is the same BG, obviously, no one can be exactly the same after going through what she's been through, but she's just a really really special and resilient person."
But now, Kozar says the real work begins. He says BG is ready to get back on the court - on her own, she's been practicing, working out, and getting reacquainted with her old friend, basketball, but also not forgetting about her new mission off the court.
"It's a good reminder that there is a list of folks that are detained overseas who can't see their families. BG is a name on that list but we've crossed her off...we are on to the next person on that list. I know that's her work, I know that's Cherell's work we as an organization are committed to being part of that legacy work."
TIMELINE: Brittney Griner's time in Russian custody, prisoner exchange
As far as her return to the WNBA, BG said in an Instagram post last month that she intends to play again and be a member of the Phoenix Mercury. Currently, she is a free agent and contracts will go out in a few weeks.
