Phoenix Mercury Star Brittney Griner Announces Major Change To Her Appearance For 2025 And Beyond (an)

Brittney Griner (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Ever since she was locked up in a prison in Russia, Brittney Griner has undergone major changes with her appearances.

Griner, the WNBA star imprisoned in Russia two years ago over cannabis possession, was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession but was released in December 2022 after serving 10 months in prison as part of a rare prisoner exchange.

During her ten-month imprisonment, she was left outside in the freezing Russian winter for hours, which caused her dreadlocks to freeze. She even stated spiders built nests in her hair.

In her memoir titled “Coming Home,” Brittney Griner said she had to ask for permission to shave her head.

“My dreads had become knotted over the months. At IK-2, they froze together. My iced locs started molding beneath that wrap,” Griner said. “They took three days to dry after I showered. During exercise on frigid mornings, I could literally feel a head cold coming on.”

Things have certainly changed since the USA came and rescued her.

Once she got back on US soil, Griner began rocking a short style for her hair, but now that we are at the end of 2024 and heading into 2025, things are going to change again.

On her Instagram story, Brittney Griner was asked, “You growing your hair back?”

The Phoenix Mercury star replied, “I sure am. Curl BG was cool, but Dread head BG is better!”

During the 2024 WNBA season, Griner averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Brittney Griner ‘Felt Less Than Human; While In Russia Prison

Brittney Griner remembered feeling “less than human” during her time in a Russian prison.

She spent 10 months in Russian custody for possessing cannabis oil before the US government orchestrated a prisoner swap in December 2022.

Griner had been playing in the Russian Premier League when things went terribly wrong for her, and she was arrested at a Moscow airport. She would go on to plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison and sent to a penal colony.

Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, made her competitive return in May 2023, playing for Phoenix Mercury against the Los Angeles Sparks.