crednews is the original content division of cred.ai

the original content division of cred.ai

Russia Extends Detention of WNBA Player Brittney Griner Yet Again

Russia Extends Detention of WNBA Player Brittney Griner Yet Again

A Russian court has just lengthened the detention of basketball star Brittney Griner until at least July 2, marking the third time the country has made such a decision.

Griner, 31, has been in Russian custody since February 2022 when she was stopped by Moscow airport authorities who accused her of having vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her bags, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. State Department has since worked to maintain consistent contact with Griner.

“This case is problematic from top to bottom,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “It is precisely why we have characterized Brittney Griner as an unlawful detainee. It’s precisely why we are doing everything we can to seek and to affect her prompt release from Russian detention.”

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and member of the Phoenix Mercury, was in Moscow during the WNBA offseason to play basketball for the Russian Premier League team UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Since the new season began in the U.S. on May 6, Griner’s fellow teammates and the league as a whole have honored her absence with a floor decal of her initials and jersey number (no. 42) along the sideline of all 12 WNBA courts. Mercury players and staff also met with State Department officials on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., according to ABC News.

“We’re here to do whatever we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game and anything else that’s going on in our lives,” Mercury star and longtime teammate Diana Taurasi said in a statement after the meetings. “We want BG to come home as soon as possible, it’s number one on our list.”

share this story

© crednews a division of cred.ai

cred.ai originals

latest posts

Egg prices are cracking under pressure as a new wave of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, sweeps through U.S. poultry farms. The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has…
For years, renters have been at the mercy of an unforgiving market—sky-high prices, bidding wars for basic apartments, and landlords dictating the terms. But in 2025, the tide is…
In the age-old battle to protect Italy’s culinary crown jewels, parmesan producers have unleashed a new, high-tech weapon: microchips. Tiny transponders, no bigger than a grain of salt, are…

view the code through your phone’s camera
app and click the link that appears.
click the  X  or “esc” to close.