On Thursday, a Russian judge sentenced WNBA and Team USA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling.
In what quickly became a very politically loaded case, Griner was “wrongfully detained” according to American diplomats after police at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
This amount measured out to less than a gram. Griner had pled guilty, likely looking to reduce her sentence (in a trial where the outcome was predetermined), but still got very near the maximum the judge could impose.
Negotiations on a prisoner exchange involving Griner are ongoing. The basketball world and beyond reacted with shock and support for Griner.
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