Brittney Griner stuns at Met Gala after release from a Russian penal colony

02 May 2023 , 09:13

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Brittney was jailed in 2022 (Image: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Brittney Griner left onlookers stunned as she posed on the world-famous steps of the Met Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Her appearance at the glamourous event comes just five months after she was released from a Russian penal colony on December 8.

The WNBA centre, 32, had played professional basketball in Russia since 2014 but was returning to the country in February 2022 when she was stopped at Moscow airport.

Authorities at the time claimed she had vape cartridges on her containing cannabis oil.

She was convicted in August of the same year and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony – with an appeal denied in October.

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Brittney Griner stunned alongside her wife Cherelle (Getty Images)

That appears to be behind her as the 6-foot-9 star was all smiles as she stepped out at the event held by Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.

Houston-born Brittney looked sensational as she wore a custom Calvin Klein suit featuring a long beige blazer with matching trousers and a sheer top.

However, Brittney opted for a simple hairstyle after she was forced to cut her tresses off after the conditions at the terrifying penal colony meant they froze after she showered.

Brittney was jailed in Moscow after allegedly having vapes containing cannabis oil in her possession (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Brittney's wife of four years, Cherelle also dazzled as she rocked a strapless white dress which perfectly complimented her figure as it tucked in at the waist.

Speaking on the carpet, Brittney told Vogue's Livestream: "This time last year, I was missing my wife, so to have her right here, to be in this moment—breathtaking."

Prior to attending the event, Brittney worked out that she would have been released from the penal colony in October 2030, had President Biden not intervened for her release.

She'll make her return to the basketball court later this month (Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld)

Biden had agreed for her to be freed in return for arms dealer Viktor Bout being allowed to return to his native home country of Russia.

Days before stepping out, Brittney praised the Bring Home Our Families campaign, which helped support her wife Cherelle while she was imprisoned abroad.

While she acknowledged that not everybody has access to such high levels of media exposure, she explained that people can show support by "just being there, being a voice for those families, so they're not feeling left behind or forgotten at all."

She will make her official return to the court on May 19 as the Phoenix team take to the court challenging the Los Angeles Sparks.

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