*WNBA players are reportedly opting not to play in Russia during the off-season amid Brittney Griner’s highly publicized imprisonment in the country for drug smuggling.
In February, Griner was detained by Russian customs after they found cartridges containing less than a gram of hashish oil in her luggage. She was arrested on drug charges and in August, the two-time Olympic gold medalist was sentenced to nine years in prison.
As reported by CNN, prior to her sentencing, on Aug. 4, Griner apologized to the court and asked for leniency.
As reported by The Associated Press, “Russia has been the preferred offseason destination for WNBA players to compete because of the high salaries that can exceed $1 million – nearly quadruple the base salary of top WNBA players — and the resources and amenities teams offered them,” the outlet writes.
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Griner’s legal woes reportedly have her fellow players avoiding the country until she is released.
“Honestly my time in Russia has been wonderful, but especially with BG still wrongfully detained there, nobody’s going to go there until she’s home,” said Breanna Stewart, a Griner teammate on the Russian team that paid the duo millions. “I think that, you know, now, people want to go overseas and if the money is not much different, they want to be in a better place.”
Per The AP: “Nearly a dozen WNBA players competed in Russia last winter and none of them are heading back this year.”
“The thing about it is, we were treated so well by our club and made such strong relationships with those people, I would never close the door on that,” Courtney Vandersloot said. “The whole situation with BG makes it really hard to think that it’s safe for anyone to go back there right now.”
Stewart and Jonquel Jones will reportedly spend the off-season in Turkey playing for Mersin. Rhyne Howard, the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, is playing in Italy this winter. Vandersloot is playing in Hungary, according to The AP report.
Meanwhile, Griner’s lawyer is speaking out as the two-time Olympic gold medalist waits for a start date on her appeal process. She also remains hopeful about a possible prisoner exchange, PEOPLE reports.
“Brittney is stressed and very much concerned with the future,” her lawyer Maria Blagovolina told PEOPLE.
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