WNBA Star Brittney Griner remains in Russian custody, where she has been detained since mid January.
Griner allegedly was carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil at a Moscow airport– a crime punishable by ten years of jail time in Russia. In March, Russian officials announced the extension of her detention to May 19th.
Prior to Monday’s draft, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert held a press conference and addressed Griner’s detainment. She said that the league is continuing to work on her release and is in contact with US officials.
“This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in,” Engelbert said, per Meredith Cash of Business Insider. “[We’re working with] everybody in our ecosystem to get her home as safely and quickly as we can… We will have a lead-wide philanthropic initiative honoring BG.”
US officials have made it clear that public outcry will only worsen the situation, Griner’s family remaining quiet on her status.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that it is “not typically constructive” to talk about Americans detained abroad, while a state department representative told BBC that a consular officer had been granted a visit with Griner in March.
“We continue to insist that they allow consistent, timely consular access to all US citizen detainees in Russia,” the spokesman said in a statement. “We are closely engaged on this case and in frequent contact with Ms Griner’s legal team.”
Griner has played in Russia since 2015, making over $2-million a year in Russia. The highest WNBA salary is $600,000. She was returning to America following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the country’s government’s persecution of LGBTQ+ members.
Fans and athletes across the world have shared their thoughts and prayers for Griner– her WNBA peers noting that any of them could be in Griner’s situation.
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