The news that broke Friday was that WNBA star Brittney Griner would be detained in Russia for at least another month. The American athlete’s best bid to return home anytime soon would be through diplomatic negotiations and not the legal system, former U.S. State Department officials and Russian legal experts say.
As the season starts, don’t be surprised if you see BG42 on the sidelines. Grinner is a massive star in this game. Her presence is great, and she has been awesome. Thanks to her, she helped grow women’s basketball. So, with a slow start to the season and her presence missing, the WNBA and teams are united in what has been a somber season.
The WNBA will honor the Phoenix Mercury center this season with her initials and jersey number which will feature on the sideline of all WNBA courts. Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February after Moscow airport authorities claimed to have found vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage. She plays in Russia during the WNBA offseason.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
Moving on to the next news bite … Covid hits Seattle Storm hard:
Stewie and Prince are out. They missed both Phoenix Mercury games. Seattle, losers of both, are shorthanded. Wow! The two players were out with covid protocols under WNBA guidelines. This opened a can of worms that has yet to be fully discussed properly.
The New York Liberty got hammered hard for private flights a while back, and there were even talks about disbanding the organization. And so, it’s been brought up again. Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart joined the growing calls and lamented the WNBA’s travel policies. Both Stewart and teammate Epiphanny Prince were absent from Wednesday’s game against the Mercury after entering the league’s health and safety protocols.
