Brittney Griner

The WNBA announced all 12 teams will feature a floor decal with Brittney Griner's initials and number to acknowledge the star while she remains detained in ...

WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in February for reportedly carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in a Moscow-area airport.

“We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.” Means officials will try to negotiate her release rather than let Russian legal system play out. Major shift in her case. What we do know, however, is that it means officials will try to negotiate Griner’s release rather than let Russia’s legal system play out. According to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, the U.S. government now considers Griner to be wrongfully detailed by the Russian government. This week, the U.S. government provided an update on this situation.

Not only will the case be officially reclassified, but the shift will allow WNBA players and other supporters to bring as much attention to Griner's case as ...

The league also announced Tuesday it would keep Griner “at the forefront of what we do” with a floor decal during the 2022 season. The WNBA has also been kept in the loop throughout Griner’s detainment. According to ESPN, the offense could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. In March, Russian state media reported Griner’s detention had been extended to May 19. Until this past weekend, Griner’s case had been handled by the consular office, but now will be passed to the special envoy’s office, according to Quinn. “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department official told ESPN in a statement Monday. “With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”

There are three assertions why WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention in Russia isn't getting the attention it should. None of them get at the truth.

Russia is not yet at the point where, to put it as crassly but as realistically as possible, they can use Brittney Griner as a good trade bait. That simply hasn’t been the case with Brittney Griner. I can also guarantee that a couple of months after this all began, no one would have seemingly forgotten that Kyrie was in Russian custody. Our best female basketball players remain not second- but third-class citizens, needing to moonlight in places such as Yekaterinburg, Ankara or Shenzhen so that their international and WNBA salaries combined can still be less than a journeyman who rides the bench in the NBA. That’s a remarkably harsh position to have to take in 2022, yet it’s clear that Griner doesn’t fit the mold of what many Americans see as an all-American athlete. Yes, it makes sense that in comparison to a white high-profile athlete, that some people are, sadly, simply going to care less about a Black athlete. Yet it is now two months since the American basketball superstar Brittney Griner was taken into custody at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession.

All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night.

“In conjunction with the league, the other 11 teams, and those closest to BG, we will work to keep her top-of-mind as we tip the 2022 season,” said Mercury Executive Vice President and GM Jim Pitman. “While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being. Griner had one of her best seasons last year — the league’s second-leading scorer and sixth in rebounds. The Mercury open their season at home that night against the Las Vegas Aces.

The WNBA today announced plans to acknowledge the importance of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner to the league. During the 2022 season, which tips off ...

“In conjunction with the league, the other 11 teams, and those closest to BG, we will work to keep her top-of-mind as we tip the 2022 season,” said Jim Pitman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Phoenix Mercury. “While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being. As previously announced by the Mercury, philanthropic initiatives recognizing Griner and modeled after her contributions to the Phoenix community will take place across the WNBA during tip-off weekend into the 2022 season. During the 2022 season, which tips off on Friday, May 6, Griner’s initials and jersey number (42) will be featured along the sideline of all 12 WNBA courts.

The shift to consider Griner wrongfully detained is a big step in the right directions towards bringing her back to the United States.

"We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time." "The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner's release," a State Department spokesperson told ESPN. "As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

The State Department has now classified WNBA player Brittney Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia and her case is now being handled by the office of the ...

They played a major role in securing the release of US citizen and former Marine Trevor Reed Last season, Griner finished second in Most Valuable Player award voting. "As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

Brittney Griner is still in custody in Russia more than two months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport.

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It was unclear what prompted the shift, though President Joe Biden's administration had been under pressure from members of Congress and others to make ...

All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night. The decal will feature Griner’s initials, BG, as well as her No. 42. ESPN first reported the classification in Griner’s case. “It is time for her to come home,” Ogwumike added. Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Now, though, U.S. officials have shifted supervision of her case to a State Department section — the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs — that is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries.

The U.S. government reclassified WNBA star Brittney Griner's case and now considers her to be wrongfully detained in Russia, the first time that distinction ...

Griner was detained at a Russian airport in February for allegedly carrying hash oil in her luggage, though news of her arrest did not break until March. The charges carry up to 10 years in prison. WNBA Player Brittney Griner Reportedly Detained In Russia On Drug Charges (Forbes) WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention In Russia Reportedly Extended Until May (Forbes) U.S. Pushes For Consular Access To WNBA Player Brittney Griner (Forbes) Brittney Griner In ‘Good Condition,’ U.S. Reports After Finally Visiting With WNBA Star (Forbes) WNBA Players, Commissioner Call For Brittney Griner's Return From Russia (Forbes)

The U.S. Department of State has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being "wrongfully detained by the Russian government," a department official ...

"For the Reed family, that day is today. "As I do everything in my power to get BG home, my heart is overflowing with joy for The Reed Family. I do not personally know them, but I do know the pain of having your loved one detained in a foreign country. She last played for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29 before the league took a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. With the new classification, the U.S. will be more aggressive in its efforts to secure her release. The change in official classification means Griner’s case will be handled by Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, in coordination with the State Department’s Office of Consular Affairs, the official said. Carstens' office is responsible for handling such cases.

The new designation signals that U.S. officials will take more aggressive steps to negotiate the release of the WNBA star, who's been detained in Russia ...

Previously, government officials and representatives for Griner had taken to working behind the scenes, keeping a low public profile as her case proceeded through the Russian legal system. Profile: Chiney Ogwumike is on a tireless quest to have it all. “I can tell you that with the utmost certainty. We’re in regular contact with her team, we regularly are engaging through our embassy in Moscow with their counterparts in order to see to it that she’s treated fairly, to see to it that we have the consistent access to her that the Russians are required under the Vienna convention to provide.” She has not been formally charged but is scheduled to have another court hearing on May 19. The U.S. government is now characterizing Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia as a “wrongful detainment,” an official designation that indicates it will no longer wait for the WNBA star’s case to proceed through the Russian legal system and will take more aggressive steps to negotiate her release.

The U.S. now says Russia is wrongfully detaining WNBA star Brittney Griner ... The Biden administration said on Tuesday that WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is ...

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The State Department went public with its push to negotiate Griner's release from custody in Russia, where she has been held on drug charges since February.

In other cases of wrongful detention, the United States had insisted that it would not link the fate of imprisoned individuals to larger policy issues. The United States has designated as wrongfully detained Americans citizens and U.S. nationals who are currently imprisoned in China, Venezuela, Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar and Cuba, among several other nations. Many W.N.B.A. players join international teams to earn additional income during the league’s off-season. Griner, 31, has been held in Russia since February on drug charges that could carry a sentence of up to 10 years if she is convicted. The top-tier players can make more than $1 million by playing in Russia. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time All-Star, is set to earn about $228,000 with the W.N.B.A.’s Phoenix Mercury in the 2022 season, according to the website Her Hoop Stats, just shy of the league’s maximum salary. In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired in February, Roger D. Carstens, the diplomat who will be overseeing the interagency effort to free Griner, said that over 40 Americans were wrongfully detained abroad. The State Department has repeatedly said, for instance, that Americans held in Iran are not part of the negotiations between Washington and Tehran to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Some of Griner’s supporters and inner circle had been concerned about politicizing Griner’s case because of the frayed relationship between the United States and Russia and the tensions of the war in Ukraine. Most W.N.B.A. players and government officials have said little about the situation beyond expressing general support for Griner, as part of a strategy of quiet diplomacy. “As I do everything in my power to get BG home, my heart is overflowing with joy for The Reed family,” Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, wrote on A law passed by Congress in 2020 established 11 criteria for such a designation, any one of which can be a sufficient basis to secure the detainee’s release, including “credible information indicating innocence of the detained individual,” “credible reports that the detention is a pretext for an illegitimate purpose,” or a conclusion that U.S. “diplomatic engagement is likely necessary.” “Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said in a statement. “The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate consular support to Ms. Griner and her family,” a State Department official said in a statement, adding that an interagency team would work to have her released.

All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night.

Griner had one of her best seasons last year — she was the league’s second-leading scorer and finished sixth in rebounds. “In conjunction with the league, the other 11 teams, and those closest to BG, we will work to keep her top of mind as we tip the 2022 season,” Mercury Executive Vice President and GM Jim Pitman said. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.” “While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being. Griner will be paid her full salary of nearly $228,000. I’m glad that they are trying to do something,” said New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who previously coached Griner in Phoenix. “They had that prisoner release last week that gave me hope that BG would be one of the next ones out.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States ...

Given the US state department's reclassification of the basketball star as 'wrongfully detained' – the moment to speak out is now.

As if out of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, it feels like her wish has been granted, but in the form of a curse. But it made sense as I followed her through the bowels of the Shanghai subway station – every neck craned to behold a young legend striding past. Until Tuesday’s announcement from the US Department of State reclassifying Brittney as “wrongfully detained,” the White House, the WNBA and Brittney’s family have been largely quiet. I believe that the Biden Administration and Brittney’s team have been working hard behind closed doors to bring her home. Some American “patriots” hate Brittney for exercising her right to stay in the locker room for the national anthem to honor Breonna Taylor and other victims of police brutality. Look for the self-righteous “she’s getting what she deserves” attitude. It must be exhausting to be a spectacle everywhere you go. Half of the WNBA travels to countries like China, Russia, Turkey and France for much higher salaries, which raises the question whether their careers in the US count as their real off-season. We must not wait for her trial to be changed again. Moscow alleges that she was caught with hashish oil at Sheremetyevo Airport, a crime punishable by 10 years in prison. UMMC Ekaterinburg, where she’s played since 2015 and won back-to-back championships, pays her more than $1m, compared to roughly $228,000 from the Phoenix Mercury. I was just like ah, hell no, my life is coming to an end,” she said.

She is being held in a pre-trial detention center near Moscow, where she will stay until her next court appearance. Sign up for National Breaking News Alerts.

In a statement Tuesday, the State Department confirmed this would take place: "With this determination, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner's release." Under a 2020 law, the determination by the U.S. that an individual is being wrongfully detained triggers more targeted efforts to free the prisoner, as the case is transferred from the State Department to the special envoy of hostage affairs. The U.S. has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained by Russia, the State Department said in a statement Tuesday.

Houston native and WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for nearly two months. With Griner's May 19 court appearance looming, KPRC 2′s Owen ...

Griner is currently being detained on drug smuggling charges and has reportedly been in Russian custody since February.

"While we await her return, our main concern remains for her safety and well-being," Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement. Griner is currently being detained on drug smuggling charges and has reportedly been in Russian custody since February. The Russian Federal Customs Service said its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow, The New York Times reported on March 5. Phoenix Mercury All-Star Brittney Griner is being 'wrongfully detained' in Russia, two U.S. officials said Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

Adaptability and flexibility will define 2022 for Phoenix, which will be playing without friend and teammate Brittney Griner when the season opens.

Just try to be a star in my role whether that was being on the outside knocking down shots, being on the inside at times, my approach was still going to be the same -- to be as dominant as I can in whatever my role was going to be for this team allotted and whatever minutes was going to be given to me." "Our style of play kind of changed a little bit, I think, as far as us wanting to be an up-and-down running team and getting a lot of possessions in. The Mercury believe they can get back to the WNBA Finals this season and, this time, win the franchise's first title since 2014. "I was still going to come in and assert myself the same way regardless," she said. Even though this year's roster has largely turned over since that season, four of the five starters from the bubble plus Cunningham remain -- enough to remember what it took to win without Griner and know how to use that experience now. Adaptability and flexibility will define 2022 for the Mercury. Charles will be the centerpiece of the offense, closely complemented by Diggins-Smith and a 39-year-old Taurasi. From there, Nygaard will build out. "Any night could be somebody's big scoring night and someone's biggest assist night might flip the next day," she said. The Mercury remain in pursuit of a second consecutive trip to the WNBA Finals, but gone are the grand visions of pairing last season's top two scorers in the WNBA -- Charles (23.4 PPG) and Griner (20.5 PPG), respectively -- on the court together. "I think we're gonna be just fine, but of course we would love to have B." Charles, 33, is expected to play more in the post without Griner; Charles averaged 33.3 minutes per game last season, the fifth most in the league, and attempted a career-high 137 3-pointers. "Once you bounce the ball, you start blowing the whistle, that's all you're really focused on when you're a competitor," Nygaard said. She's also a force on offense, and led the league in field goals and 2-point field goals, shooting 36 more than the next-closest player, and was also third in field goal percentage (.575). Griner had the sixth-most free throw attempts as well as the sixth-most free throws made.

The atrocities of the war in Ukraine and Griner's detention in Russia on drug charges could cut off a lucrative pipeline for women's basketball players.

“As the league and the teams have sought to get the players to make the W a priority, with their prioritization rules, we seek the same of them,” Jackson said. The “growing toxicity of Russia” could also deter foreign players from playing in the country, he said. Griner’s American teammates in Yekaterinburg — Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Jonquel Jones — all returned safely to the United States after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. It is unclear if those players — or any others — will go back. Starting in 2024, players will be ineligible in the W.N.B.A. season if they do not report to their team on time, although there will be exceptions to this “prioritization” policy. With the prioritization, you’re cutting off one of my sources of income and not substituting it.” The Russian Basketball Federation governs several men’s and women’s basketball leagues, including the women’s Premier League with about a dozen teams. Griner could be the last American basketball star to play professionally in Russia, fracturing a lucrative pipeline that a list of renowned players has tapped for a generation. W.N.B.A. rookies can make as little as $60,000 in base salary, with top veterans like Griner and Taurasi able to earn up to $228,000. They were part of a wave of oligarchs who amassed their wealth after the collapse of the Soviet Union by investing in industries like gas, oil and precious metals. We are the best country in the world. “But I think the ultimate goal is to showcase: ‘Listen, we have the best athletes in the world. But Griner’s detention, the atrocities of the war and related economic sanctions have heightened the scrutiny of associating with Russian businesses — including its basketball teams.

Brittney Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star selection and Olympic gold medalist, has been detained in Russia for the last two months after being accused by ...

We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. Brittney Griner “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.” “#WeAreBG” The WNBA has also spoken out in support of bringing Griner back to the U.S. soil, sharing plans to honor her throughout this upcoming season with a floor decal. “The U.S. Government will continue to undertake efforts to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner.”