Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Says 'Today My Family Is Whole' After WNBA Star's Prison Release

Brittney Griner's wife Cherelle says her "family is whole" again after the WNBA star was released from Russian custody.

Shortly after news broke that Brittney, 32, had been released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange for a convicted arms dealer, Cherelle spoke during a press conference hosted by Joe Biden at the White House Thursday about her wife's release.

"So over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration," she began.

Noting how Biden, 80, previously mentioned that getting an American citizen back from overseas detainment "is not easy," Cherelle continued, "There's been so many hands involved, and so I'd like to take a moment to just specifically mention a few."

Shouting out Vice President Kamala Harris and Griner's fellow Phoenix Mercury basketball players, among many others, Cherelle then added, "Today my family is whole, but as you all are aware, there's so many other families who aren't whole." She then cited Paul Whelan, another American who remains jailed in Russia and who was not included in the swap centered around Griner.

For more on Brittney Griner, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"Thank you everybody for your support, and today's just a happy day for me and my family, so I'm gonna smile right now," Cherelle added. "Thank you."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug smuggling charges, was released in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout on Thursday, CBS News reported, citing a U.S. official.

The exchange agreement between Griner and Bout was recently negotiated with Moscow and was given final approval by Biden last Thursday, five former U.S. officials told the outlet.

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

Before delivering his remarks during the same press conference as Cherelle, Biden tweeted: "Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home," alongside photographs of himself, Harris, 58, and Cherelle.

Griner was previously sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 10, just below the maximum allowed sentence of 10 years. Griner's lawyers said at the time, in a statement shared with PEOPLE, that the verdict, is "absolutely unreasonable" and said they will "certainly file an appeal."

RELATED VIDEO: WNBA Star Brittney Griner Released from Russian Custody in Prisoner Swap

In his Thursday morning speech, Biden celebrated Griner's release from Russian custody. "Good morning folks, and it is a good morning," Biden, who was standing before Harris and Cherelle, began.

"Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner. She's safe, she's on a plane, she's on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances," he continued.

"Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should've been there all along," Biden added. "This is a day we've worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release. It took painstaking and intense negotiations, and I wanna thank all the hardworking public servants across my administration who worked tirelessly to secure her release."

He then also thanked "the UAE for helping us facilitate Brittney's return, cause that's where she landed. These past few months have been hell for Brittney and for Cherelle, and her entire family and all her teammates back home," he said.

Biden later noted that Griner will be back in the U.S. in "the next 24 hours."