Griner, 32, wearing the colours of Phoenix Mercury, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) club whom she re-joined in February, smiled broadly as she acknowledged the reception at the Crypto.com Arena on the home court of the Los Angeles Sparks. 

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February last year, a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and given a nine-year sentence after vape canisters with cannabis oil were found in her luggage, a fact she acknowledged in court while claiming she had no criminal intent and had packed them in haste.

She had been returning to play in the Russian Premier League for basketball team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the off season of the WNBA competition.

After spending 10 months in detention, Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Harris met both teams in the locker room before the match began.

"Thank you for all that you did in supporting Brittney," the vice-president told the Mercury players.

"I know that was rough and so difficult."

Harris also spoke about how "team is family" and how important it was for Griner that they kept "her story alive" while she was in Russia.

Los Angeles player and WNBA Players Union Executive Committee president Nneka Ogwumike presented Harris with a Sparks jersey and thanked her.

"Tonight is a game, but we're also celebrating the return of one of our own, and what the Biden administration did to make that happen is really important," Ogwumike said.

"We know that wasn't easy.

“But we want to say thank you so much for us to be able to play against BG tonight."

Tennis legend Billie Jean King, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham and League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert were also in attendance for a match won 94-71 by the home team.

Speaking to ESPN after the first quarter, Griner, who has vowed never to play abroad again unless it is in the Olympics,  commented: "You come to work, you gotta put everything aside.”

She finished this opening match of the WNBA season - her 10th - with 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in 25 minutes.

"Every city we went last year, BG was the story," Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said.

"This year, it will be a story of joy, of happiness, of 'welcome back.'

“That positive energy I think will help our team.

"I'm so glad she's home.

“It's a miracle that she's here.

“BG stands for so much, so many different kinds of people who can be undervalued in our society.

“And is even using her platform now to bring others home."

Griner competed in an exhibition game last week in Phoenix, but this was her first regular-season game.

The last official game Griner played before that was Game 4 of the WNBA Finals in October 2021.

Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi, winner of five consecutive Olympic titles, added: "Last year really had nothing to do with the basketball court.

"We had a sister, a friend in prison in Russia.

“Emotionally it took a toll on us every day.

“You really didn't know what to say on certain days.

“But it was toughest on BG."