Mayra Madrigal
Brittney Griner was arrested at the Russian airport last February due to having vaporizer cartridges with cannabis-derived oils among her belongings, and since then several attempts have been made to free her.
Since Brittney Griner, star of the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, was arrested, very few details have been given by the Russian authorities about her situation and well-being, so not much is known about it.
However, it was recently revealed that both the WNBA and the NBA are making efforts to free the player. The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver , assured that he works “side by side” with Cathy Engelbert, commissioner of the WNBA, to get Brittney Griner to return to the United States.
In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Silver claimed they had been in contact with the government regarding the situation.
“We have been in contact with the White House, the State Department, hostage negotiators, all levels of government and also through the private sector. Our number one priority is her health and safety and making sure she leaves Russia.”
Silver said they have kept a low-profile stance at the request of experts, but admitted the league’s overall responsibility to the player:
“The league, and for that, both the WNBA and its sister league, the NBA, have a huge responsibility with Brittney Griner as one of our players. Part of our decision not to take a higher profile here came frankly at the suggestion of experts inside and outside of government, who thought the best way to get Brittney out was not to amplify the problem.”
Why was Brittney Griner arrested in Russia?
Griner used to spend every offseason in the WNBA in Russia, playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in that country’s league, and 2022 was no exception. However, things were different this time, as she was arrested at the Moscow airport for carrying vaporizer cartridges with cannabis oils.
That was about a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but that situation has been making things difficult for the athlete.
The US State Department officially reclassified Griner as wrongfully detained earlier this month, and they have been trying to negotiate her return ever since.
According to the Russian news agency TASS on May 13, Griner’s preventative custody had been prolonged until June 18. This is the last thing known about the case.
