Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in February 2022 and pleaded guilty to drug charges for carrying cannabis oil.

Griner faced up to 10 years in prison, sparking widespread outrage and calls for her release.

Russia is using Griner as leverage to gain concessions from the US government.

Griner's detention and 9-year prison sentence highlighted the intersection of sports, gender, and politics.

Griner's case highlighted issues of LGBTQ+ rights, racial discrimination, and pay disparity between male and female athletes.

The US government faced pressure to secure Griner's release, possibly through a prisoner swap.

Griner suffered harsh conditions and torture in a Russian prison with no language support.

The US negotiated a prisoner swap to free Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner's release sparked widespread relief and celebration, hailing her as a symbol of hope for women's sports and the LGBTQ+ community.

Griner's case highlights the need for greater support and protection for female athletes playing overseas.

Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody under harsh conditions.

Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for medical treatment and mental health evaluations.

Griner's family thanked President Joe Biden as she returned to the US, smiling and grateful after 10 months in custody.

US President Joe Biden confirmed Griner's release, stating she was safe and returning to the US.

President Biden led efforts to free Griner through months of negotiations with Russia.

Griner has returned to basketball, signing with the Phoenix Mercury and averaging 19.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 2023 season.

Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in February 2022 and pleaded guilty to drug charges for carrying cannabis oil.

Title:

Content: WNBA All-Star Game Presents Britney Greiner in Special T-Shirt and Continues to Pray for Her Freedom
CHICAGO.
Dozens of Britney Greener came Sunday morning to Winterrust Arena to celebrate the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game.
“If it ’ s one of us, we ’ re all, ” Nika Ogomets, president of the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA), said Friday night on the orange carpet.
In the second half of the game, that was all of them.
Players from both teams came out of the locker rooms in new T-shirts with the name Griner and number 42.
They started the match in warm-up shirts, which were listed as such, but the first half was played in their shirts.
“It was our way of honoring her memory, ” WNBPA Vice President Sue Bird said after Wilson ’ s victory.
“I hope at some point she sees a photo or something and makes it clear that she is always in our thoughts and hearts.
But it ’ s also a way to get other people to see her name. don ’ t know about this story and go, “Oh, why are you wearing all this? ”
“Same shirt number? ”
And at times like these, it gets attention, and what it does is constantly remind the Biden administration that we support them.
"And whatever they do to get Britney home, we're behind it."
Greener ’ s presence and name have been talked about all weekend in Chicago, from a press conference with Al Sharpton to players who even mentioned her name.
The chance that the rapper wears a Phoenix Mercury T-shirt during a party that was publicly broadcast on AT & T. His wife Cheryl Greiner was sitting on the pitch of the All-Star Game.
It was hard to miss one of the few competitions broadcast on national television that the WNBA held this season.
“It ’ s the perfect time, ” Wings goalkeeper Eris Oganboal said ahead of Saturday ’ s competition in a pop-up window at McCormick Place.
“ESPN, ABC, we ’ re in prime time, so anytime we can say her name, we ’ ll do it. ”
Confrontation on the strategic river Ukraine, which is eagerly awaited by Russian forces
Griner was named an honorary participant of the All-Star Game, and since February it has been held in Russia.
This is her eighth choice, and Wintrust Arena viewers applauded standing up when her name was announced.
The WNBA champion and two-time Olympic champion pleaded guilty on Thursday to drug charges in a Russian court, expected as part of a strategy to bring her home.
It was a day before the festivities began in Chicago, which many players called some of the best they had ever seen.
“I really want to start and repeat, obviously we ’ re thinking about Britney Grenier at this time, ” WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert said in her opening remarks to the media before the game.
“This continues to be a huge priority for us [and] Continue to receive our full support.
Of course, fully focus on getting home safely and as quickly as possible.
She ’ s always with us and our thoughts are with her this weekend. ”
Her name and the inscription "Bring BJ Home" could be seen on T-shirts and badges throughout the Square area all weekend.
The staff of the WNBA event at the stadium wore a warm-up, so that the name Griner appeared in front of almost 10,000 people in a fully sold out arena.
“Clearly [she ’ s] We think, ” Mercury teammate Skylar Diggins Smith said.
“That ’ s our priority in this league.
We ’ re talking about “we ’ re BG, ” and what it means to us, just trying to embody her spirit, continue her legacy and stay on the alert as much as possible in our efforts to help her home and get those messages abroad.
Stephen R. Brownley 1986-2021 | News, Sports, Jobs
Las Vegas Aces manager Becky Hammon said she hoped national awareness “could lead to pressure on the Russian government to do the right thing and leave things as they are. ”
Greiner was arrested shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in the ongoing war, raising fears that the star could become a political prisoner.
Some consider her status as a pioneer in the LGBTQ + community, as well as the fact that she is a black American, the reason for her arrest and danger.
Russian customs officers said that she was detained because of allegedly found in her luggage cartridges for electronic cigarettes containing cannabis oil.
Her team of lawyers called her a “small sum ” after she pleaded guilty.
She faces 10 years in prison.
The invasion prompted the WNBA and player agents to help the remaining league players in the Grinerer UMMC Ekaterinburg team leave Russia.
Since then, the team has been kicked out of the Euroleague, and its stars have already signed up somewhere else, especially in Turkey, for the WNBA 2022-23 season.
Grainer is one of many players playing abroad to compensate for low wages in the West, which peaked at $119,000 in 2019.
This group includes Belgian Emma Mesemann, who played there with Griner for several years and said the name on the T-shirt was meant for others to keep her name on top.
She said the players are already doing it and they are worried.
“She ’ s a very strong person, but in these circumstances you just hope you don ’ t break her, ” said Messman o Greiner, who has been talking about mental health in recent years.
“I was very happy to hear her news in the letter and read that it hangs there.
The winner of the OT in Mangyapan helped Canada beat Russia at the world hockey championship
“I can only hope that it will end very quickly, that we can see her, that we can see her just fine.
It means a lot to us, thinking about her here almost every day.
He ’ s not just in the All-Star Game now, every day. ”
On Friday, the WNBPA held a press conference in front of the orange carpet with Sharpton and Grenier ’ s wife, Cheryl.
The Federation has shown its strength over the past few years and knows how to work collectively to achieve the goal.
Updates about the number of days Griner has been detained are constantly appearing on players ’ social media profiles, and Stewart does so every single day.
Stewart, who played for Greener in Yekaterinburg and has one of the biggest single player venues in the league, said the federation was able to intervene, coordinate messages and “be the main go-between for us so we can use our voice. ”
“We ’ re all fighting together to bring her home, and I think when you have, as Sue said earlier, the power in quantity, it produces an even bigger spike, ” Stewart said.
"And we're getting attention, we're getting people's attention, and we need to keep asking President Biden and the White House to bring her home."
Aside from awareness, pressure, and consistent communication, the league, the players ’ union, or any fan can do little.
The trial of Griner will continue as usual in Russia, even with a confession of guilt.
Players will continue to think about her daily life, last weekend, and even the WNBA Finals if she isn ’ t home.
And this is a very likely possibility, according to foreign policy experts.
“Not a day goes by that I don ’ t think about Britney Grenier, ” said Adja Wilson, captain of the team that led the vote.
“So putting on her shirt and letting the world know we ’ re not full without her, I think that ’ s a statement in itself.
When we play on ABC and ESPN [we ’ re], show that it ’ s real and realize that we ’ re not going to stop until everyone understands how dangerous it really is. ”

Griner faced up to 10 years in prison, sparking widespread outrage and calls for her release.

Title:

Content: Former WNBA star Brittney Griner, who won two U.S. Olympic gold medals in women's basketball, has pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into Russia and faces up to 10 years in prison.
The 31-year-old female athlete was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after cannabis oil was found in her luggage and has been held on suspicion of drug smuggling.
According to the Russian state news agency, Graina pleaded guilty in court, but stressed that she did not intentionally violate the law. Graina said through an interpreter that she did not intentionally carry drugs, but that she accidentally brought them in when she was rushing to pack her bags.
After the court, she left without making any comment to reporters, and the next hearing was set for July 14.
Elizabeth Rood, deputy US ambassador to Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she had spoken to Graina in court and said, “She ’ s in good spirits, she can eat, she can rest, she can study, and I think she ’ s doing very well under the circumstances. ”
"I reiterate the commitment of the United States government to bring Ms. Greene and all American citizens detained for the wrong reasons home safely," Rudd said.
Russian prosecutors accused her of smuggling less than a gram of sesame oil, so in the United States, she was used as a political bargaining chip by Russia.
Russia ’ s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, was angered by the United States ’ characterization of Graina as “wrongly arrested ” and warned that“ attempts by the United States to propagate false statements will not help solve the problem. ”
Since the two scheduled witnesses did not appear, Graina ’ s trial was adjourned, and her temporary detention was granted until December 20, a delay that has been commonplace in Russian courts and seen as prolonging negotiations with the United States.
News outlets have repeatedly speculated that Graina could be used as a prisoner swap, such as Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “merchant of death, ” who has regularly supplied arms to guerrilla groups for decades, and who is said to have been partly referenced in the character archetypes of the film King of Arms.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States in 2010, where he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Another possible candidate is Paul Nicholas Whelan, a former Marine Corps security chief who was convicted by Russia of conspiring to become a spy and sentenced to 16 years.
Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges in Russian court
# Glenna # Russia # USA # Confession # WNBA

Russia is using Griner as leverage to gain concessions from the US government.

Griner's detention and 9-year prison sentence highlighted the intersection of sports, gender, and politics.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner's teammates speak out about her "devastating" 9-year sentence in Russia: "It's a helpless feeling"

WNBA star Brittney Griner's nine-year prison sentence in Russia on Thursday has sent shockwaves back to her loved ones in the U.S. After she sentenced for having vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil at a Moscow airport this year – which she says was an accident – her Phoenix Mercury teammates spoke out about the "devastating" situation.

Following the Mercury's 77-64 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, guard Skylar Diggins-Smith told reporters "nobody wanted to even play today."

"It's our sister," Diggins-Smith said. "...I don't expect everybody to give a damn, but we really do. And we come out here and we're still supposed to play this f---ing game. ... How are you supposed to approach the game, approach the court with a clear mind and the whole group is crying before the game?"

She went on to say that the team wants to honor Griner and play hard on her behalf, but that doing so can be difficult given the circumstances.

Mercury guard Diamond DeShields shared the sentiment, saying she's proud to be a part of the team and how hard they played on Thursday.

"We approached the game tonight with a heavy heart as we have every game this season," she said. "But obviously, devastating is the overall sentiment. ... I mean, it's like you're just waiting for a bomb to drop, you know? Just watching it, seeing her behind bars."

"It's a helpless feeling," Diggins-Smith added.

The two also questioned the press for persistently asking the team about Griner's situation.

"It's heavy. It's just heavy, y'all," Diggins-Smith said. "Y'all asking these questions don't really take away from our trauma. You just add to our trauma, so we can break down in front of y'all, so you can see how we feel. I don't know what else to really say about it."

During Thursday's game, both teams embraced each other at half-court for 42 seconds of silence – Griner's jersey number – to honor the basketball star. The silence was followed by chants of "BG" and "bring her home."

Griner, 31, is a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star with the Mercury, and in her WNBA off-season, she plays for Russia's Yekaterinburg team. She was arrested in February at a Moscow airport when workers found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, which her legal team argued she had accidentally stowed while packing in haste.

Griner was convicted on Thursday for drug possession and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She was also fined 1 million rubles, about $16,000.

President Biden immediately called for Griner's release on Thursday, calling the conviction and sentence "unacceptable." And on Friday, Russia said it is ready to discuss a prisoner swap. In recent days, the White House has offered a swap with the country, asking for both Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to be released. The U.S. has not confirmed who they would release as part of the swap.

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Griner's case highlighted issues of LGBTQ+ rights, racial discrimination, and pay disparity between male and female athletes.

Title:

Content: Last Updated on July 4, 2022 by BVN

S. E. Williams |

The Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde once said that she wrote “for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”

Lorde further stated, “We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”

However, in the decades since Lorde penned those words many Black lesbians are no longer silent. Yet, we must ask the question, how safe are Black lesbians today? Perhaps we should ask WNBA basketball star, Brittney Griner, who is among the growing number of prominent Black lesbians in America living out loud.

Most have battle scar evidence of their struggle to find a peaceful life in a world that in many ways, still considers who they are and who they love an aberration.  And, although disrespect and dangers continue to lurk for members of the LGBTQ+ community in America, it is still safer to live here than in many other places in the world.

Unfortunately for Griner, however, she is now trapped in a country, where racism against Blacks is normalized and where the government is working to ostracize members of the LGBTQ+ community. But how different is this really from many places in America today.

Despite the spread of anti-gay sentiments in Russia and right leaning countries across Europe, Griner plays basketball internationally during the WNBA’s off season. This despite writing about her “coming out” in her 2017 autobiography, “In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court,” which helped make her one of the most recognizable lesbians in the world.

Racism and Homophobia in Russia

For those who have not followed Griner’s fate in recent months, she was arrested on drug charges in Russia on February 17. Her arrest came just days after a Russian court suspended a lawsuit (February 11) intended to shut down its LGBT Network—the country’s most powerful gay rights organization—for  purportedly spreading gay views, which of course, could farcically include anything from a view out one’s window of gay people walking down the street, to realistically include gay people advocating for the same rights to live and love as they choose like any other Russian.

Identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer has been legal in Russia since 1993 (how enlightened) however in 2013 under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, the nation adopted what’s been called the “gay propaganda” law that made it illegal to speak words related to the LGBTQ+ community around minors.

Racism and homophobia in America

Before Russia took such action, America was already contriving to do the same.

There has been much criticism recently of Florida’s recently enacted Parental Rights in Education Bill signed into law in April that appeared to follow Russia’s lead. But, it was revealed by The Center for Media and Democracy (Center), a nonprofit that tracks the work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that the Parental Rights Amendment was actually listed under its “Education Task Force and included in the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation.

Also, according to the Center, although ALEC has tried to distance itself from this controversial legislation since 2011, it is difficult to identify any efforts to advocate against the current movement to codify this legislative into law across the country.

ALEC is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts models of legislation for distribution and adoption by conservative legislatures around the country and for decades has worked to pull America toward extremism.

Sadly, Florida’s recent law is just the tip of the iceberg. Anti LGBTQ+ toxicity is spreading quickly in America. Red states from Ohio to Texas to Indiana to Colorado to Wyoming to South Dakota, Iowa, Utah and beyond   have pushed to pass similar bills. In some instances state’s were only prevented from doing so by Democratic legislators who held the line against Republican, anti-gay governors seeking to work their will.

As we watch and point with deserved derision and criticism, the unfolding fate of Griner in Russia, Time magazine provided a chilling reminder in mid-May, of what is possible in America regarding the welfare of LGBTQ+ citizens. It recalled the successful work of  Florida’s Johns Committee—a state legislative committee that launched an LGBTQ+ purge in the late 1950s rooted in racism, homophobia, and anti-communism.

Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1963 the Florida legislative committee persecuted and intimidated those suspected of being gay at state universities as part of the state’s resistance to federally sanctioned school desegregation in response to the 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

According to Time, the committee’s original goal was to uncover all communists believed to be behind desegregation. Not surprisingly since it was based on a false premise, that mission failed. This subsequently compelled the committee to find another group to scapegoat—gays and lesbians. This eventually led to a report popularly known as “The Purple Pamphlet”( because of its sensational and explicit content), that highlighted “the extent of infiltration into agencies supported by state funds by practicing homosexuals.”

By1965, hundreds of Floridians were prosecuted and charged because of their sexuality. Frighteningly, not unlike the experiences of Griner in Russia today, Florida interrogations were reportedly conducted in privacy and even worse, the accused were denied legal counsel.

A need to raise our collective voices

Today, as Griner languishes in a Russian prison—most assuredly because she is Black and a lesbian who may or may not have committed a minor drug infraction in a racist, homophobic country —,there are legitimate concerns about her safety.  As her detention days turn into weeks and weeks into months, there is little doubt it is up to all of us, Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who support and validate our right to exist and every American committed to human rights to pressure the federal government to bring her home. We must raise our collective voices to keep Griner’s freedom at the forefront of America’s political consciousness.

Audre Lorde lamented about the fate of Black lesbians in her seminal work the Black Unicorn where she noted “’The black unicorn was mistaken for a shadow or symbol and taken through a cold country…, ” She further spoke to the power of Black women/lesbian strength and determination to live their truth stating,  “the Black unicorn is unrelenting.” I pray this perceived power is enough to sustain Griner (her wife and loved ones) in the days ahead.

In concluding her poem Lorde also reminded all of us that although the metaphorical Black unicorn is empowered, as we are witnessing today decades after Lorde put pen to paper on this issue, as it relates to Griner, “the Black unicorn is not free.”

Raise your voice to advocate for Griner’s freedom by calling the U.S. Department of State at 1-202-647-4000 and the White House at 202-456-1111 to advocate for Griner’s release. Remember, “Silence is complicity.”

Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.

S.E. Williams

Stephanie Williams is executive editor of the IE Voice and Black Voice News. A longtime champion for civil rights and justice in all its forms, she is also an advocate for government transparency and committed to ferreting out and exposing government corruption. Stephanie has received awards for her investigative reporting and for her weekly column, Keeping it Real. Contact Stephanie with tips, comments. or concerns at myopinion@ievoice.com.

The US government faced pressure to secure Griner's release, possibly through a prisoner swap.

Griner suffered harsh conditions and torture in a Russian prison with no language support.

Title:

Content: WNBA: Brittney Griner makes first comeback after being jailed in Russia: 'It's a miracle she's back here'
Author: Wu Muer
Published: Updated:
American star center Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, returned to the United States for the first time since being released in December to play for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA pre-season warm-up.
Even if the team is 71: 90 against the Los Angeles Sparks, Glenna's performance is still a long way from the level of the game, no one cares about the result, coach Vanessa Nygaard and Mercury teammates are excited, opponents of the Sparks players tightly hugged her, Glenna said this battle is significant, saying: "Never take any day for granted."
Glenna (right) returns to basketball for the first time since returning to the United States. (Reuters)
Glenna, 32, is one of the most famous female basketball stars in the United States. She was selected to the WNBA star team eight times and won the Olympic gold medal twice for the United States.
Possession of cannabis is illegal in Russia, but the standard penalty for possession of cannabis oil under 2 grams or cannabis under 6 grams is a fine or imprisonment for up to 15 days.
The United States initially attempted diplomatic mediation without success, alleging that Glenna was "illegally arrested" by the Russian side, and the incident became a new chapter in the political turmoil between the United States and Russia.
In September last year, a Russian court sentenced Glenna to nine years in prison. After her appeal was dismissed, the United States and Russia finally reached a prisoner exchange agreement and were released from prison on December 8.
She has returned to the team training earlier, Saturday for the first time in the game, is selected to play 17 minutes, the first minute has scored two points, the 6 feet 9 inches of the center long sparrow, the performance inevitably has a "rust" sense, 5 shot 2, with the penalty ball scored 10 points, and 3 rebounds, she knows that the distance from the best state is still far, after a disaster she said: Sitting here, I never thought I could play basketball so quickly. "
Glenna took part in a live video interrogation at a Russian prison last year. (AP)
“I don ’ t know what will happen, but I ’ m grateful to be here. ”
I won ’ t take it for granted any day since, ” she said. “Hearing the national anthem again feels completely different. ”
It's like being in the Olympics, you sit there, the gold medal is about to wear the neck, the national flag is raised, the national anthem is played, and the feeling is very different. "
For the first time since 2021, Glenna is competing in a Mercury suit. “Being here today means a lot … it feels good, it definitely feels appreciated. ”
I can ’ t wait to get back to a day where it was just basketball. ” Yes, because everyone was completely distracted by her return to the game, even the team ’ s head coach.
Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said that the national anthem and the introduction of the moment, the whole team is excited, "we look at each other, the chicken skin straight up."
Last year we had everything here all year, and now I ’ m starting to feel emotional.
It was an absolute miracle just to see Glenna come out again, it was amazing, and it made me skin again. ”
Glenna has twice won Olympic gold medals for the United States, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. (Getty Images)
Glinna's return to the field also rekindled Mercury's hopes for the title.
She was the 2013 WNBA draft pick, was selected by Mercury and has been playing since then, winning the team's third WNBA championship in 2014. She averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in nine years of WNBA career, and Mercury won the final of the playoffs for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018.
In 2022, the team lost to Glenna, and the team was defeated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs 0: 2.
In the comeback war, Glenna did not perform as expected, thinking that she was detained in Russia for 10 months, during which time she was interrogated, sentenced to heavy prison, imprisoned in a mysterious prison where the outside world can not know the location, coupled with lack of language, psychological torture and suffering, to be able to step out of the field is actually a victory.
She confessed, “It ’ s far from what I hoped, but it ’ s back on track, and we ’ re doing the right thing. ”
The WNBA 2023 regular season kicks off on Friday, May 19, with Mercury playing against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Greta returned to the game for the first time with a lot of expressions:
+ 1

The US negotiated a prisoner swap to free Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Title:

Content: Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

National News

VSU Coach Among Black Women Showing Support For Griner

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal and Guide

A group of over 1,200-plus Black women leaders of various religious, political, and social backgrounds, are calling on President Joseph R. Biden’s to ramp up efforts to free WNBA star Brittney Griner from detainment in Russia.

In a letter to Biden and Vice President Harris, the #WinWithBlackWomen collective urged the administration to “make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly and safely and to meet with Brittney’s wife Cherelle immediately.”

The signatories include multiple WNBA players, WNBA Players Association Executive Director Terri Jackson, and several university coaches, including Nadine Domond, head coach for women’s basketball at Virginia State University, who also signed the letter.

Domond was recently interviewed on National Public Radio’s (NPR) “All Things Considered” by host Juana Summers.

Summers asked Domond, who is a friend of Griner, about her reaction to what was happening during her trial and imprisonment in Russia.

“Heartbroken. She could be sentenced to up 10 years in a Russian prison,” Domond said. “That’s tough. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. So, I’m just keeping her in my prayers, to give her the strength and the courage and the wisdom as she walks through this – you know, this valley. So many other supporters are just with her in spirit, trying to make sure she’s OK.”

Summer asked, “Why do you think it has not gotten enough attention?”

“Because I think for many people, it’s like, what do you mean? She’s overseas” Domond said.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“What is she doing overseas? Why is she going overseas? So, there are so many unanswered questions that many average Americans want to know.”

Two weeks ago, Griner, during the second phase of her trial admitted guilt to the charges. She said she was packing, hurriedly and did not intend to include the Hashish Smokeless cartridges in her baggage or break Russians laws.

On July 15 Griner presented a doctor’s letter recommending medical cannabis treatment to a Russian court.

Griner, the Gay, superstar female star of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), has been in a Russian jail for over four months.

The six-foot-nine center for the Phoenix Mercury helped the team earn a championship in 2014. She has two gold Olympic medals to her name. Griner was jailed for carrying used Hashish oil cartridges in one of her bags as she was attempted to leave Russia back in February.

“People don’t know that many former WNBA players or WNBA players work year-round,” Domond continued. “She is going to Russia to make another living, to continue her living. And to be detained on something that – to me, I don’t know their rules, but I know Brittney wouldn’t do anything to break the law on purpose. I know Brittney wouldn’t do anything to step outside the boundaries of what is expected of her.”

Read the entire story in New Journal and Guide.

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Griner's release sparked widespread relief and celebration, hailing her as a symbol of hope for women's sports and the LGBTQ+ community.

Title:

Content: American basketball star Gina was criticized by the WNBA for provoking the Internet.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - U.S. women's professional basketball player (WNBA) Greiner, who was released from a Russian prison in December last year, was provoked by an online celebrity while preparing for a flight at the airport.
Advertisement
Video posted on social media showed a man yelling at Brittney Griner and her teammates at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport.
Greiner was about to board a flight to Indianapolis for tomorrow ’ s race.
Greener ’ s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, issued a statement saying, “Greener and @ WNBA players are leaders who inspire hope for a better, more inclusive and less divided America. ”
“They are known for the ways in which their actions inspire positive change, and in doing so they have also become targets of hatred, threats and violence, and today ’ s events are a clear reminder of that. ”
Greiner, 32, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 for entering Russia with an e-cigarette case containing a small amount of cannabis oil and sentenced to nine years in prison in August.
The Mercury team is also investigating the details of the incident and discussing the next move with the league.

Griner's case highlights the need for greater support and protection for female athletes playing overseas.

Title:

Content: games

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?

Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving. Joel Embiid finished second in NBA MVP voting last year; in baseball (a sport once actively played in this country), it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; and in football, it was Tom Brady.

In the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner earned this distinction last year. She was second in scoring, sixth in rebounds, first in blocks (she’s on track to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in that category), and, according to most advanced metrics, the best offensive player in the league. Her résumé is glittering: She won an NCAA national championship for Baylor in 2012, the same year she captured college basketball’s Player of the Year Award. She then won a WNBA championship in 2014 and was selected as one of the best 25 players in league history in 2021. She has two Olympic gold medals to her name. In the gold-medal game against Japan in Tokyo last summer, she dominated, scoring 30 points to clinch an easy victory. She is the apex of her sport. She is the best of the best. She is a legend.

And for more than a month now, she has been in the custody of the Russian government. Yet until Russian officials released a statement over the weekend saying they had detained Griner after finding hashish oil in her airport bag, it seemed that nobody had noticed. And the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet. One of the greatest athletes in American sports — a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion — was arrested in a dangerous and volatile country that has suddenly become a pariah on the world stage. Making equivalences between sports only takes you so far here, but seriously: Imagine if Tom Brady were being held by Russian officials right now.

It is unclear how directly Griner’s plight connects to the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her detention has been overshadowed by the death and destruction wrought by Putin. And part of the muted response is likely due to sensitivity of the negotiations between Russian and American officials. Griner’s wife asked for privacy on Instagram, and it’s clear the precariousness of the situation has led to a certain institutional resistance to even mentioning it: That WNBA.com doesn’t include a single story about one of the organization’s best players being detained speaks to this dynamic. It is also worth remembering, as ESPN’s T.J. Quinn did on Monday, that Griner, whatever the specifics, is likely in some danger; Quinn noted that “as a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol,” and “even in the best case, she’s in for a long legal slog in the Russian criminal justice system. And there’s little the US govt can do about it.”

Another motive the WNBA may have for staying quiet is its own culpability in the situation. The reason Griner was in Russia in the first place — to play off-season basketball, as she has done there for years — is that the league does not pay its superstars the way other sports leagues do. As Tom Ley from Defector pointed out:

The league’s low salaries and minimal efforts towards player support have for years forced even its biggest stars to treat their time in the WNBA as a part-time job. The maximum WNBA salary in 2022 was just over $228,000, and players can make far more than that playing in leagues overseas. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million to skip the WNBA season entirely and play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Liz Cambage recently revealed that she has made “five to eight times” as much money playing overseas than she has in the WNBA.

Before you say, “Well, the WNBA isn’t as popular in the NBA; of course Griner wouldn’t make as much as LeBron,” remember this: The WNBA has a salary cap, and one that’s particularly suppressive of superstar wages. Griner only made $221,450 for the 2021–2022 season, which is less than a third of the minimum salary in the NHL, but nevertheless classifies her as the fourth-highest-paid player in the WNBA. A new CBA signed two years ago was supposed to address these issues, yet there was Griner, making a mint playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. The WNBA’s MVP last year, Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, plays for the same Russian team. She got out of the country just after the invasion of Ukraine began.

Liz Cambage, a star for the Los Angeles Sparks, has noted that players can make “five to eight times more money” for Russian teams than they do in the WNBA, despite the league being by far the most high-profile women’s basketball league in the world. And restricted cash flow isn’t the only problem for players: Just last week, the league fined the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights to games, claiming this gave the Liberty a “competitive advantage.” (For perspective, almost every team in the collegiate NCAA tournament next week will arrive at their destinations via chartered flight.) Griner didn’t choose to go play in Russia. The league left her no choice.

The precarity of Griner’s position in Russia may give the WNBA a good reason to stay quiet about her case. But perhaps the league would also prefer not to dwell on how she ended up in this situation in the first place.

In any case, it’s not just the WNBA downplaying this story. There was also no mention of Griner on the front pages of ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and SI.com just 48 hours after news of her arrest landed.

This strange reaction comes at a time when the WNBA has surged in popularity. Last year’s finals, featuring Griner’s Mercury, put up the highest ratings ever, a full 49 percent jump from 2020. This is partly because of the league’s activism, which has increased its visibility in a dramatic way. And Griner has been right in the middle of it all, wearing Breonna Taylor’s name on her jersey and speaking out in favor of LGBTQ+ issues since before she even entered the NBA. She was also the first openly gay athlete ever signed to an endorsement deal with Nike. Her teammate Diana Taurasi, perhaps the best player in WNBA history, called Griner “a pioneer.”

And still, relative silence.

As Griner sits in detention in Russia, as a result of a system that is set up to devalue her and other stars at every corner, it would be nice if her plight received attention commensurate with its seriousness.

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story?

Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody under harsh conditions.

Title:

Content: Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner arrives in San Antonio after 10 months in Russian custody

Griner was transported to Brook Army Medical Center's reintegration center upon her arrival.

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Instagram / brittneyyevettegriner
WNBA star Brittney Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody after customs officials in Moscow allegedly discovered vape canisters containing cannabinoid oil in her luggage.
WNBA star Brittney Griner touched down at San Antonio’s former Kelly Air Force base early Friday morning after 10 months in Russian custody, according to media reports.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was smiling as she stepped off the plane at 4:30 a.m., the Express-News reports. Following her arrival, she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center’s reintegration facility, where she will receive any necessary medical treatment.

Medical experts from UT Health San Antonio told KSAT that Griner also may undergo extensive mental health evaluations.

In February, Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after customs officials allegedly found vape canisters continuing cannabinoid oil in her luggage. In August, she pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. She spent 294 days in Russian custody, according to the daily.

The basketball star was released in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia on Thursday, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

In a statement, Griner's family offered “sincere gratitude” to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home, according to the Express-News. It is unclear how long Griner will be in San Antonio before returning home to her family.

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Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for medical treatment and mental health evaluations.

Griner's family thanked President Joe Biden as she returned to the US, smiling and grateful after 10 months in custody.

US President Joe Biden confirmed Griner's release, stating she was safe and returning to the US.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

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President Biden led efforts to free Griner through months of negotiations with Russia.

Title:

Content: After President Biden ’ s rescue and the United Arab Emirates brokered a prisoner swap agreement between the United States and Russia, Brittney Griner, America ’ s top female basketball player in a Russian prison, was finally released back to the United States, and Biden paid the price for the Russian “Death Dealer ” Porter, who was imprisoned in the United States for 25 years. Viktor Bout is released, although it is not proportional principle, but the United States and Russia are somehow written off!
“Prisoner exchange ” is actually an act of contempt for the law. It is an ugly game imposed by politicians in order to achieve their goals. They treat prisoners as a commodity, a bargaining chip, so it is a violation of the law. But because“ prisoner exchange ” is humane, it is acceptable. The Chinese government had reached an agreement with the Canadian government that the exchange of two Canadian prisoners held in China by Huawei's female son Meng Wanzhou was a clear example of a "prisoner exchange".
Greener was arrested in February this year at Moscow International Airport after being found to contain cannabis oil e-cigarettes. She was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court on August 4 after being detained for half a year. Olympic basketball gold medal national treasure, but unfortunately, because it coincides with the Russian-Ukrainian war, US-Russian relations are tense, so Grenada has become a scapegoat for the war.
President Biden has spent the past few months trying to save Greiner, but he has returned to Russia through former New Mexico Governor Richard Nixon, who has served as a congressman, energy secretary and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He has had good relations with Russia and has been instrumental in facilitating the release of prisoners and mediating international conflicts. A few years ago, he helped bring back former U.S. Marine Leder, who had been detained in Russia for more than two years, but this time it was impossible to save Grener, so President Biden had to send Secretary of State Abraham Lincoln to present a prisoner exchange plan to the Russian Foreign Minister in exchange for Grener and another American prisoner accused of spying in Russia, Paul Whelan.
However, this "2 for 1" model was flatly rejected by Putin, until recently, with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates to coordinate and finally reach a "1 for 1" agreement, and a simple case of carrying drugs instead of selling drugs was jailed for more than 10 months, it is ridiculous that Greiner has finally been released from prison and returned to the United States. With the arms of her family, this 6-foot-9-inch basketball champion will soon be able to play on the court again, of course, after this painful catastrophe, I believe that after the NBA season, she will never dare, nor will she go to the UMMC Ekaterinburg team in the Russian League to make extra money!
(The author is the chief writer of South American Media Group)
※ The above statements do not represent the position of Wangzhong Media Group ※
# USA # Russia # Lena # Changed Prisoner # Detained

Griner has returned to basketball, signing with the Phoenix Mercury and averaging 19.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 2023 season.

Title:

Content: ‘She brings light’: Brittney Griner’s triumphant return to the WNBA

Prior to being detained in a Russian prison for 294 days, Brittney Griner was on top of the world.

The 32-year-old was coming off one of the best WNBA seasons of her career. She was the Most Valuable Player runner-up, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Phoenix Mercury, who she led back to the WNBA finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014. Meanwhile, Griner was on her way to play for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, who she had led to four EuroLeague titles since she started spending her WNBA off-seasons there in 2014.

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At the time of her arrest Griner was, according to the testimony of her Russian teammate Evgenia Belyakova, “the most beloved player in Russia.”

To become such a popular figure in both America and Russia is no easy task for a gay, Black woman. But Griner’s ascent was never easy. She was bullied relentlessly growing up, first for her size and later for her sexuality, becoming one of the first active athletes in professional North American sports to come out as gay, shortly after being drafted No 1 overall by the Mercury in 2013.

In her first game as a pro, the 6ft 9in Griner towered over her opponents, changing the perceptions of what a female basketball player was capable of when she set a WNBA record with two dunks in a game. Griner went on to win a WNBA title, two Olympic gold medals, and seven WNBA All-Star appearances, on pace to achieve a level of greatness few ever have in the women’s game, and being marketed accordingly.

In fact, Griner was the first openly gay athlete to be endorsed by Nike. And the WNBA used her at the center of its marketing, acknowledging that gay athletes and LGBTQ+ activists like Griner were good for business.

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So when it all came crashing down at a Moscow airport on 17 February 2022, when Griner was found with vape cartridges containing traces of hashish oil in her luggage, not only did her career come to a screeching halt, but the league that she had been bound to since 2013 lost some of its forward momentum, too. She was later sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

As much as Griner tried to stay positive, and as much as the WNBA community tried to help, a cloud hung over the entire 2022 season – one that would not dissipate until Griner was released and returned to America.

“Last year, it felt as though we couldn’t play with joy … It felt bad for us to be happy or to celebrate things because the weight of BG’s wrongful detainment weighed over us,” says former Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

When the US negotiated a prisoner swap to secure Griner’s freedom last December, she almost immediately announced her intention to return to the WNBA in 2023, signing a one-year deal with the Mercury. But nobody knew what to expect from Griner, who had spent almost a year under arduous physical and mental conditions.

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But, against all odds, Griner appears to be back to her normal self, on and off the court.

Related: WNBA power lies with two superteams. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing

In her first WNBA game in 579 days, Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. In her first home game a couple of days later, she hit just the seventh three-pointer of her career, yelling “I’m back!” to the crowd of 14,000 cheering fans.

“I appreciate everything a little more,” Griner said about being back in the league. “All the little, small moments that I used to just [think]: ‘Oh, I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to practice today. And, oh, this and that.’ That has changed, honestly. Just appreciating everything because tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”

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Griner is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks on a career-high 61.8% shooting through her first nine games of the 2023 season. She is back to being the Mercury’s best player, dominating in the post over swarms of defenders and blocking everything that comes her way on the other end of the floor. After being an honorary All-Star selection last season, Griner was named an All-Star starter on Sunday.

But what may be even more impressive is the enthusiasm and spirit she has brought to the Mercury and the WNBA, constantly flashing her trademark smile, joking around at press conferences, and uplifting her teammates at every opportunity.

“We were all hoping that she was going to be OK coming back, and that she did not lose her light, and she really didn’t,” says Mercury forward Megan Gustafson, adding that Griner’s presence has transformed the locker room. “I think we were a little bit surprised, because anyone that goes through an experience like that – I mean, I couldn’t even imagine being the same person. But she really is and I’m just so proud of her and just the light that she brings again … It’s really just her light, her positivity that [has] shone through.”

Sandy Brondello, who coached Griner in Phoenix for eight seasons prior to moving on to New York, is also glowing about the player’s return to the WNBA. “It’s like sometimes we sweat having a bad game – she was in prison,” says Brondello. “She had to live in prison for such a long time. So I think she has that joy. Just go out there and play.”

Griner has brought a lot of attention to the WNBA, which was already growing rapidly. Not only is the league averaging almost 1,000 more fans a game in Griner’s return season, but its broadcasts have also hit record viewership numbers – up 49% from last season across ESPN networks.

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“I think that if you look at last season, there was something and someone missing in the WNBA and that was obviously Brittney Griner,” former WNBA MVP and Griner’s one-time UMMC Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart says. “So the ability to have her back here kind of makes our circle complete, because she is such a force and a presence on and off the court and her ability to kind of be so dominant and aggressive but also such a kind, caring person – everybody’s missed that.”

Griner’s on-court play cannot be separated from her political advocacy off it, especially in a league as socially active as the WNBA. And Griner’s imprisonment has forced the WNBA to reckon with its lackluster treatment of athletes in the past, forcing the league to improve pay and travel standards so that the Griner situation does not repeat itself.

After all, the primary reason that Griner was in Russia in the first place is because her salary at UMMC Ekaterinburg is over $1m compared to the $165,100 she will make this year in the WNBA. In fact, 67 of the league’s 144 players still played internationally last off-season despite Griner’s detainment. Doing so is a financial necessity rather than a choice for most of the world’s best female basketball players.

The incident also highlighted concerns about commercial travel for WNBA players, many of whom are gay, Black women who can be targets of abuse. In fact, Griner has already been harassed this season when a conservative media personality confronted her and her teammates inside a Dallas airport in mid-June.

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In the past, the league has argued that charter flights create an unfair competitive advantage for teams that can afford to pay for them, fining the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights last season. But the WNBA has already made improvements this season, allowing private flights for back-to-back games and for all playoff games. And after the news of Griner’s harassment and the pressure that came from it, the league recently announced that teams are permitted to fly on a public chartering service called JSX for the rest of the season.

It’s a step in the right direction that may not have been possible if not for Griner – a singular force who is as easy to galvanize around because of her on-court performances as she is for her personality. The league still has a long way to go in regards to growing the game and improving standards for its athletes, but Griner’s return has undoubtedly expedited the process.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom. Because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change, you don’t know what that something’s gonna be,” Griner said. “We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s wait and see game,’ you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this. It’s just a shame that it took so damn long.”