*WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner is currently detained in Russia after being arrested last month at a Moscow airport for having vape cartridges in her luggage. Inquiring minds want to know would she even be in the country if female basketball stars earned at least half, if not equal the salaries of their male counterparts?
We previously reported that Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was detained after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. The detainment comes amid the escalating conflict created by Russia attacking Ukraine.
“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” said Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas on Saturday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
READ MORE: BIG TROUBLE for Brittney Griner! 🙁 – WNBA Star Detained in RUSSIA on Drug Charges
“The Olympic gold medalist spends her WNBA offseasons competing for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg,” per Business Insider. WNBA players earn higher salaries overseas than in the US, according to the report. For the last seven years, Griner has played in Russia in the winter, earning over $1 million per season.
“This year, Griner is set to take home a league-maximum $227,900 annual salary from the Mercury, but only in recent years has her payday climbed into the six-figure range,” per Business Insider.
According to The New York Times, Griner’s arrest is possibly linked to Russia’s effort “to create leverage for a potential prisoner exchange with the American government or a reduction in sanctions related to the [Ukraine] invasion.”
“Russia has been detaining and sentencing American citizens on what United States officials often say are trumped-up charges,” per the Times’ Jonathan Abrams.
“Brittney Griner has the WNBA’s full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States,” the WNBA said in a statement.
Griner has played in Russia during the offseason since 2015. She is “a member of the UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian basketball team that competes in the Russian Premier League and FIBA Europe’s EuroLeague Women,” per PEOPLE.
She was arrested several weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Griner is reportedly charged with smuggling “narcotic drugs” into Russia. She faces five to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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