WNBA Star Brittney Griner

WNBA star Brittney Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She is an American professional basketball player who has been a member of the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas. She is the only NCAA basketball player to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.

WNBA career

During her WNBA career, Brittney Griner has established herself as one of the best interior scorers in the league’s history. She has also earned honours for being an outstanding defensive player.

As a member of Team USA, Griner has helped the United States win gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics. She has led the country to two gold medals in the past three years and has been named to six All-Star teams.

Griner’s WNBA career started when the Phoenix Mercury selected her in the 2013 draft. She was the first player chosen in the draft and immediately led the Mercury to a 29-5 record in her rookie season. In addition, she was selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. She was a member of the All-Star squad in both 2014 and 2015.

In her rookie season, she set the WNBA’s record for blocked shots per game at 3.0. She has led the league in blocked shots every year since. She also has the most blocked shots of any WNBA player in the last seven seasons. In her senior season, Griner led Baylor to the NCAA  title. She finished her college career with 748 career blocks. She was also a three-time All-American and the A.P. Player of the Year award winner.

During her final season in college, she averaged 15.5 rebounds and 33 points. She finished her Baylor career with a record of 40-0. Griner was ejected from a game in 2016 for pushing the face of Cappie Pondexter with her hand. She also was suspended for a game in 2017 after punching Jordan Barncastle in the face.

Olympic gold medals

Known as “The Griner”, Brittney Griner is an American basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. Born in Houston, Texas, she has won two gold medals with Team USA at the FIBA Women’s World Cup and the Summer Olympics. She is the first openly gay athlete to be endorsed by Nike in a multi-million dollar deal.

She became a prominent LGBT athlete when she came out at age 22. She is the daughter of former NFL star Raymond Griner and Sandra Griner and the youngest of four children. She grew up in Houston and was a star at Nimitz High School.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University, where she was a member of the women’s collegiate basketball team. She was named the Naismith Award winner and the Associated Press women’s college basketball player of the year.

Before the Rio Games, she was selected as a women’s national team member. She also served as an assistant coach for the South Carolina women’s collegiate basketball team. In 2018, she was selected for the WNBA All-Star Game. She is one of the most recognizable athletes in the United States and has been voted into five All-Star games. She averaged 16.5 points per game in 2021.

She is currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. In 2019, she won the EuroLeague championship with the UMMC Ekaterinburg. During the offseason, Griner often plays for other teams in Russia.

She has a younger brother, Pier Griner, and three older siblings. Her oldest brother is D Griner. Her sister is Shkera Griner. Despite the recent legal difficulties, Griner is expected to return to her home in Phoenix.

Drug conviction

In February, WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in Moscow for the WNBA’s offseason. She was accused of bringing hashish oil into Russia. She was convicted of possession of a drug.

According to Russian authorities, she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The prosecution argued that Griner had committed the crime intentionally and deliberately. The court rejected the defence’s appeal, upholding a nine-year prison sentence.

Griner’s lawyer argued that the analysis of the cannabis was flawed and violated legal procedures. The defence also argued that Griner had been prescribed medical cannabis to treat pain. In addition, the reason presented written statements from a U.S. doctor who recommended using cannabis to treat pain.

Griner’s lawyers hope the appeals process will be quick, allowing them to request a pardon. She has ten days to appeal. However, the speed of the process will depend on the grounds for her appeal.

The case has become a topic of discussion in the United States. President Biden called on Russia to free Griner, an American citizen. She has been incarcerated since February. The Biden administration is trying to negotiate her release as part of a prisoner swap with the Kremlin.

The State Department has determined that she was wrongfully detained. As part of the prisoner exchange, she would be traded for U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and former U.S. presidential candidate Trevor R. Reed. The two men were imprisoned in Russia for two years.

As of Tuesday, the case against Griner has become a diplomatic affair. Several rights groups, fans, and basketball players have joined to free her.

Relocation to a penal colony in Mordovia

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sent to a penal colony in Mordovia, Russia, after she was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. She was also caught with marijuana oil cartridges in her luggage in February.

Former prisoners say the conditions in Russian penal colonies are harsh. They said they work long hours for meagre pay. Their facilities are in poor condition, limiting running water and heat access. They also claim they have little medical care.

According to a Russian newspaper, former inmates at the IK-2 prison say they did not have access to a washroom for over 12 hours a day. They also witnessed multiple deaths of other inmates. During the 11 years they spent in the colony, they were subjected to freezing conditions.

Griner’s attorneys told Reuters that she was relocated to a female penal colony in the Mordovia region. They also confirmed they visited Griner this week. They said that she is adapting to the new environment. They also say that they have been in frequent contact with the U.S. State Department. They have been trying to negotiate with the Russian government for a prisoner exchange, which would involve Griner being sent to the United States.

Griner was sentenced to nine and a half years in August after admitting to bringing hashish oil cartridges into the country. She claimed the crime was unintentional. She submitted an appeal to reduce her sentence but was denied. She has been placed in the IK-2 penal colony.

The IK-2 is an all-female facility for first-time offenders. It has a capacity of 800 inmates. Inmates share barracks. They often work for twelve hours a day.

Whelan’s family is “devastated”

WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange for a hardened Russian arms dealer. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the conviction of Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018, and said it was “doable.”

In the days leading up to the prisoner swap, the Obama administration reportedly made multiple offers to the Russian government to secure the release of Whelan. It even went so far as to cite the Griner deal in its own White House press briefings.

The Griner family was allowed to discuss their concerns about the detention with senior U.S. government officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, Blinken declined to discuss any specifics of the Griner case.

President Joe Biden called the deal a “win” for the United States and said that the release of Griner demonstrates “a resolute commitment to the rule of law.” The President also reiterated his belief that the U.S. embassy should assist any American citizen detained abroad.

The Griner family is hopeful that the high-profile prisoner exchange will bring attention to the plight of other Americans detained overseas. The Griner family is particularly happy that the U.S. will be able to reunite Brittney with her parents, who have supported her since her arrest.

In the end, the Griner family said that the deal was the “smart” thing to do. Although the Griner family was allowed to comment, they were not given the same information about the prisoner swap. They wanted to get their hopes up once they fully understood what was going on.