'People will be shocked': WNBA star Griner details Russian prison experience in book

Brittney Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago.

Life isn't what it once was for the perennial WNBA all-star.

The six-foot-eight centre looks different and has different priorities. Gone are her familiar dreadlocks that couldn't be maintained during her incarceration. She regularly sees a therapist to help her cope after being imprisoned for 10 months. And since her release, Griner has been an advocate for the return of other Americans detained overseas.

She has met with U.S. President Joe Biden twice since her release, including once last month in Phoenix.

"Got to talk to him about a couple of people and just keep it on the forefront of everyone's mind," the Phoenix Mercury star said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "You want to get exposure and that keeps it on the forefront of people's minds. Keep people accountable."

Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

She shares details about the harrowing experience in her new book Coming Home,to be released Tuesday.

Griner hopes one takeaway for anyone who reads the book will be a vivid picture of what detainees must endure. She said it's why it took her all last season to write it with Michelle Burford.

"I didn't leave anything out from the detainment, to being over there, the conditions. As much as we could fit into a book, we basically did," Griner said. "People will be shocked at some of the things.

"I hope it brings a little bit more of an understanding to the conditions that detainees go through."

Griner says it is important people have a clear