Seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vape …
Seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil. The 6-foot-9 Phoenix Mercury superstar now faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison for „large-scale transportation of drugs,“ according to The New York Times. Griner has already been detained in the country for three weeks according to a fellow WNBA player and, given escalating tensions between the United States and Putin’s regime, could spend an extended period of time in Russian custody. The horrifying situation has shaken the American sports landscape to its core, but ironically, the circumstances that led to Griner’s arrest could have been avoided entirely had the American market placed a higher value on her talent. The legendary hooper was only in Russia to supplement her income. Like many other women’s basketball players, Griner spends her WNBA offseason competing overseas. Since 2014, she’s suited up for Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg alongside a rotating group of fellow WNBA superstars, including Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Emma Meesseman.
