The two-time Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia on charges related to possession of narcotics, according to Russian authorities and US sports organizations, in the midst of a crisis between the West and Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine.
The 31-year-old player is accused of carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
“USA Basketball is aware of and closely following the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia,” officials of the United States national team wrote on Twitter, conveying their “concern” for “safety and well-being.” of the player
Her club, the Phoenix Mercury, and the American Professional Players Union (WNBPA) said they were “informed” of Griner’s situation.
It was in February when the inspection of the hand luggage carried by the player, who arrived in Russia on a flight from New York, would have made it possible to “confirm the presence of material for vaping and a liquid that had a particular smell,” according to the Russian federal customs service in a statement.
An expert was later able to establish that it was cannabis oil, according to that statement.
Customs did not reveal the identity of the woman but specified that she is “a member of the American National Basketball Association (WNBA) and double Olympic basketball champion with the American team.”
Brittney Griner’s track record fits that description, as she won her second Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games last year.
He is exposed to a sentence of between five and 10 years in prison, according to the same source.
The customs agency also published a video on Saturday in which airport security services are seen checking the luggage of a passenger who appears to be Griner.
– Championships in Russia –
Numerous WNBA players participate in European leagues when there is no championship in the United States and some of them do so in Russia and Ukraine.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas of the Wasserman Group, said in a statement that they are in contact with the player.
“We are aware of Brittney Griner’s situation in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” he said.
“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment further on the details of her case, but we can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
Griner led the Phoenix Mercury to the franchise’s third WNBA title in 2014 and a surprising return to the WNBA Finals in October.
The 2.06m center has also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA breaks since 2015, helping the club to three Russian national titles and EuroLeague Women’s championships in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Griner is one of 144 players on WNBA rosters who have played abroad in the North American league offseason.
The income of European teams can far exceed what players earn in the United States.
Griner, for example, has made up to $1 million a year with the UMMC, while the WNBA’s top salary is about $228,000.
A WNBA spokeswoman told the New York Times on Saturday that all WNBA players except Griner had left Russia and Ukraine following Moscow’s military offensive in the neighboring country.
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