WNBA star Brittney Griner’s trial continues to go on as the NBA recently wrapped up another season. Griner has been detained in Russia since February 2022. Russia is not yet willing to free the player due to the charges they have put up against her. Griner’s coach at the Phoenix Mercury, Vanessa Nygaard, said that if she was an NBA star, she already would have come back home. In addition, Nygaard specifically gave the example of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

She said, “If it were LeBron, he would be home, right? It is a statement about the value of women. It is a statement about the value of a Black person, It is a statement about the value of a gay person—all of those things. And we know it. And so, that’s what hurts a little more.” The Phoenix Mercury coach also admitted to crying after seeing Griner’s letter to US President Joe Biden. “It’s great she was able to get that message to us,” she added. “And hopefully some people are paying attention to it.” 

Brittney Griner’s detainment: A short timeline

The news of the two-time Olympic gold-medalist being detained shocked the basketball world. The 31-year-old was coming back home from her stint in Russia during the WNBA off-season on the 17th of February. She was caught after the Russian Federal Customs Service claimed to have found hash oil among her luggage. Hash is considered an illegal substance in Russia. If she is charged, she could potentially be in jail for up to 10 years.

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Her detainment soon turned into a political minefield during the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian War. Many officials in Congress and the Pentagon believe that she is being used as political leverage in response to sanctions imposed against the country.

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Brittney Griner’s detention was extended several times, the last being for six months. In early May 2022, the US State Department considered her as “wrongfully detained”. Her trial began on the 1st of July. The US has also considered doing a prison swap with Russia. The latter would get convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout while the US would get Griner in return.

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