WNBA star Brittney Griner compares her time in Russian prison on drug charges to being held by ICE

The newly released documentary about Brittney Griner and her internment in a Russian penal colony should serve as a warning to Americans about authoritarianism, according to the WNBA star.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Tuesday’s premiere of ‘The Brittney Griner Story’ at the Sundance Film Festival, the NCAA and WNBA champion said she feels the project comes at a key moment amid the violent immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

‘I hope this film can shed some light into what it could be like if we keep letting this happen,’ Griner said, linking her arrest and imprisonment in Russia to the recent killings of two Americans in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents.

‘Right now, we’re in a very bad place, especially with everything that’s going on in Minnesota and just across our country,’ she added. ‘I definitely think people will understand a little bit more now and be able to see some comparisons.’

Griner was arrested at an airport in Moscow in February of 2022 as she returned to Russia, where she played professionally during the WNBA offseason. Custom had discovered a small container of cannabis oil, which Griner later attributed to a ‘mental lapse’ on her part while she was packing to leave the US. 

Unfortunately, the incident happened at the onset of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Griner quickly became a significant trade chip in the geopolitical conflict.

Brittney Griner and her wife Brittney Griner attend ‘The Brittney Griner Story ‘ Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre

Brittney Griner holds photos inside a defendants’ cage before a court hearing during her trial on charges of drug smuggling, in Khimki, outside Moscow on August 2, 2022

This picture taken on on November 19, 2022 shows the entrance of the penalty colony IK-2in the town of Yavas in Mordovia, where Brittney Griner spent 10 months a few years ago 

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in a Russian penal colony, but was freed after 10 months when the Biden Administration swapped arms dealer Viktor Bout for the WNBA star. 

She has since returned to the WNBA, won another Olympic gold medal, and advocated for other Americans detained in Russian like security expert and former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. 

Fortunately, the Biden Administration was able to negotiate their releases from Russia in 2024.

Much of Griner’s ordeal is a political story, which director Alexandria Stapleton believes will resonate with Americans amid clashes between the Trump administration, immigrants and protestors.

Griner advocated for other Americans detained in Russian like former US Marine Paul Whelan (left) and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich (right), who were freed in 2024

Federal Agents arrest a man during an Immigration Enforcement Operation in Minneapolis

This month, American protestors Renee Good and Alex Pretti were both gunned down by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Good was accused by federal officials of trying to run over ICE agents with her vehicle, although video evidence did not support this claim, while Pretty’s killing was blamed on his legally registered handgun — something he wasn’t holding at the time he was shot to death by border agents.

In the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death, Department of Homeland security chief Kristi Noem accused him of ‘attacking officers’, while Trump advisor Stephen Miller branded him a ‘would-be assassin.’

Since then, however, Trump has promised to ‘de-escalate’ in Minnesota and support an independent investigation into the killing.