Cherelle Griner Honors Wife Brittney Griner in Birthday Tribute

“Yesterday my heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of MANY!,” she captioned an Instagram post at the time, in which she also named individuals for their contributions. “I’m humbled by their hearts. To care for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some— is humanity in its purest form! As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits— I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!”

For her part, Brittney also penned a heartfelt message of gratitude for everyone who was involved in her release. 

“It feels so good to be home,” she captioned a Dec. 16 post featuring photos of herself stepping off a plane and reuniting with Cherelle. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”

The Olympic gold medalist also took a moment to speak to her athletic future. 

“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season,” she continued. “And in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”