Brittney Griner attended an event held to honour Martin Luther King, the civil rights activist ©Getty Images

Double Olympic basketball gold medallist Brittney Griner has made a surprise appearance at Martin Luther King (MLK) Day celebrations in Phoenix, Arizona.

Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association League, was pictured with wife Cherelle during the parade, one of many staged throughout the United States in memory of Dr Martin Luther King, who was one of the most prominent civil rights activists in the United States before his assassination in 1968.

Griner told Phoenix-based television station 12 News that she was "happy to be home."

She had only returned home last month after imprisonment in a Russian penal colony.

Griner had been found guilty of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which are banned in Russia, but had been released as part of a prisoner exchange. 

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Coliseum, a Los Angeles 2028 Olympic venue, hosted a Day of Service as part of MLK Day, on what would have been King's 94th birthday.

The stadium helped sponsor the event, which took place for the first time since 2020, after cancellations as a result of COVID-19.

The event included a food festival in which local restaurants hosted sampling of vegan foods.

Double Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner returned home last month following a period inside a Russian penal colony ©Getty Images
Double Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner returned home last month following a period inside a Russian penal colony ©Getty Images

Volunteer activities featured "eco stations" with information on how to create environmentally friendly projects.

Visitors were also encouraged to make a tree planting pledge and were shown how to prepare for natural disasters by assembling preparedness kits.

Participants were also able to experience a virtual exhibit of the march on Washington led by Dr King which took place 60 years ago this August.

In May 1964 Dr King had spoken in front of an audience of 15,000 at the Coliseum as part of a multifaith event "Religious Witness for Human Dignity” as part of his tour of California.

King’s words were also heard during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta.