Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner talks with a referee after a no-call against the Las Vegas Aces on Sept. 8, 2019, in Phoenix. Phoenix Mercury, Brittney Griner

American president Joe Biden announced the controversial decision Thursday to free imprisoned WNBA superstar Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout with the Russian government.

TMZ obtained the shocking first look after her release, showing she had to cut her trademarked dreadlocks to weather the brutal cold at the maximum-security penal colony for women 200 miles west of Moscow.

Brittney Griner post-release from Russian custody. [TMZ]
Brittney Griner post-release from Russian custody. [TMZ]
“It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s lawyers, told ESPN. “She should have waited until New Year’s Day.”

Biden faced criticism from several online sources for freeing Griner in the swap over former United States Marine Paul Whelan. The Whelan family heralded Biden’s decision to free Griner while the marine himself blasted the president for letting him rot.

The WNBA star plead guilty in January to attempting to bring medical hashish oil aboard a domestic flight with her Russian Premier League team. She pled guilty to the charges and was set to serve nine years in a maximum security penal colony. Some online fans credited actor Vin Diesel for bringing Griner home by Christmas.

[TMZ]