(CNN) After being imprisoned in Russia for almost 10 months, WNBA star Brittney Griner is returning to basketball for the upcoming season, signing a one-year deal with Phoenix Mercury, according to ESPN and The Athletic, which cited multiple unnamed sources.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was released in December – after spending almost 300 days in Russian detention – as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.
And as soon as she got home, she vowed to play in the WNBA again.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a struggle at every turn,” she wrote in a December post on Instagram. “I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love of so many of you that helped me move on. From the bottom of my heart I thank everyone for their help.”
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and I look forward to saying ‘thank you’ to those of you who have stood up, written, and soon in person posted for me,” Griner said.
Griner – the one for years had played for a Russian women’s basketball team during the WNBA off-season – was arrested at a Moscow region airport in February 2022 on drug smuggling charges. Her detention, which became an international issue during a tense period in US-Russia relations, was deemed unlawful by US officials.
And despite her testimony that she accidentally packed the cannabis oil found in her luggage, she was sentenced to nine years in prison in early August and transferred to a penal colony in the Republic of Mordovia in mid-November after losing her appeal.
The 32-year-old last played with the Mercury in 2021 and helped lead the team to the WNBA Finals, which they lost to Chicago Sky.
Prior to that, the seven-time All-Star had played all nine seasons for the franchise since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2013 WNBA draft.
Phoenix is expected to open the season on May 19 away against the Los Angeles Sparks. The team plays its first home game on May 21 against Sky.
CNN reached out to Griner’s rep and Phoenix Mercury, but didn’t get an immediate response.