Claim:
In late November 2025, WNBA star Brittney Griner was jailed after being stopped at an airport in Brussels with a large amount of contraband.
Rating:
On Nov. 24, 2025, a claim circulated online that WNBA star Brittney Griner of the Atlanta Dream was jailed after being arrested at a Brussels airport carrying prohibited goods.
For example, one Facebook user, whose post had amassed thousands of reactions and comments, wrote (archived):
Britney Griner is back in jail after being stopped at an airport in Brussels with “a large amount of illegal contraband.”
This time, it wasn’t drugs. It was counterfeit sports cards that would be nearly undetectable in the United States.
“This may sound like something very silly,” said Belgian Customs Director Josef Barrone, “But we’re talking about millions of US dollars in fraud. She had fourteen Michael Jordan rookie cards in mint condition.”
The Jordan cards were just the beginning. If convicted, Griner could spend up to six years in prison.
The claim also appeared in multiple X posts (archived, archived).
Some readers seemed to take the claim at face value. However, there was no evidence Griner had been arrested in Brussels while carrying contraband. Searching for the terms “Brittney Griner,” “jail,” “Brussels,” and “contraband” on Google News uncovered no results (archived) suggesting the story was true. If it were, numerous news media reports would have existed; however, this was not the case.
Rather, the claim originated (archived) with a Facebook page called America Loves Liberty — an account that stated in its Facebook Intro that “Nothing on this page is real.” It said the content it posted is “used ALLOD material.” ALLOD is the acronym for a Facebook page called America’s Last Line of Defense, which used to include a label stating the page contained satirical and parody content (that was later replaced with an “Entertainment website” label).
The America Loves Liberty post also included an image with a “RATED SATIRE” label in the bottom right corner.
(Facebook page America Loves Liberty)
The satirical rumor appeared to be inspired by Griner serving a prison sentence in Russia after being convicted of smuggling and possessing cannabis in 2022. The three-time Olympic gold medalist was released that December.
Snopes has addressed numerous satirical claims originating from ALLOD, including a fabricated rumor that Griner received $62,000 in student loan forgiveness despite having a net worth of $140 million. We have also debunked several claims shared by America Loves Liberty.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
Sources
America’s Last Line Of Defense Articles | Snopes.Com. https://www.snopes.com/tag/americas-last-line-of-defense/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
‘Brittney Griner: Griner’s Wife “overwhelmed” as Russia Releases Star’. BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-63901961. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
‘Brittney Griner: US Basketball Star Jailed for Nine Years on Drug Charges’. BBC News, 4 Aug. 2022. Europe. www.bbc.co.uk, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62427635.
Dapcevich, Madison. ‘Brittney Griner Once Protested the National Anthem’. Snopes, 9 Aug. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//news/2022/08/09/brittney-griner-national-anthem/.
‘Google News’. Google News, 25 Nov. 2025, https://news.google.com.
Liles, Jordan. ‘”No Kings” Rally Photos Were “Confirmed” to Be AI-Created?’ Snopes, 22 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/no-kings-rally-photos-ai-confirmed/.
———. ‘Quaker Oats Announced Aunt Jemima Will Return to Syrup Bottles in 2025?’ Snopes, 23 Oct. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/quaker-oats-aunt-jemima-return/.
Rascouët-Paz, Anna. ’11 Rumors We’ve Investigated about Brittney Griner’. Snopes, 26 Aug. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/brittney-griner-rumors-collection/.
———. ‘Stephen King’s Publisher Dropped Him for “Pushing Wokeness”?’ Snopes, 23 Apr. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/stephen-king-publisher/.
Wazer, Caroline. ‘Brittney Griner Received $62K in Student Loan Forgiveness?’ Snopes, 26 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/brittney-griner-student-loan-forgiveness/.
