American top basketball player arrested in Moscow with drugs for at least two more months | Other sports

The 2.06 meter tall Phoenix Mercury player was detained on February 17 by customs at Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. An e-cigarette with hash was found in her suitcase. She has been in Russian custody ever since. Griner, a two-time Olympic champion, faces a 10-year prison term.

The WNBA, the organization that hosts the top women’s basketball league in the United States, said in a statement Thursday that it is working with the US government to get Griner released. The war between Russia and Ukraine is a complicating factor. Diplomatic talks between Russia and the US have fallen to zero in recent weeks.

The US State Department has said it is investigating the case and is in contact with Griner’s lawyers. However, according to a spokesperson for the ministry, the request to the Russians to visit Griner in her cell has not been complied with.

Griner is one of the best and leading players in the WNBA. She won two Olympic golds with the American basketball star, in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and last year in Tokyo. At the end of last year she was still in the final of the WNBA with her club Phoenix Mercury, with which she became champion once. She is also committed to the LGBTI community and is the first openly gay athlete to sign a contract with clothing manufacturer Nike.

Griner has played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg for the past seven seasons. In between seasons in the WNBA, many players from the league play abroad. They often earn more there than in the US. In the American competition, the salary ceiling is around 183,000 euros. In Russia, among others, players can earn a multiple of that. This season, Griner would pocket a million.