Phoenix Mercury: Last News

Brittney Griner‘s defense team has officially filed an appeal of her conviction.

sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison camp. In February, the WNBA center, Olympic gold medalist and seven-time All-Star was at an airport near Moscow when a cartridge containing hashish oil, a cannabis concentrate, was found in her luggage.

Justin Bieber is among famous faces expressing shock and dismay at the imprisonment of US basketball player Brittney Griner in Russia. The pop megastar took to social media to offer his help in getting the athlete home after she received a sentence of nine years in prison for bringing cannabis oil into Russia.

Out lesbian US basketball player Brittney Griner was convicted by a Russian court on charges of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday. US President Joe Biden denounced the verdict and sentence as “unacceptable” and called on Russia to release the athlete immediately so that she could be with her “her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates”. President Biden added that he would work to bring both Griner and Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia under an espionage charge, home.  Brittney Griner with wife Cherelle.

Justin Bieber has offered his help to Brittney Griner after she was sentenced to nine years in prison.The WNBA star, 31, was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling by a Russian court, after she was found with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in an airport in Moscow in February.‘I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,’ she said in court.‘I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.’On Thursday, Russian prosecutor Nikolai Vlasenko had asked for the athlete to be sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars, in addition to a 1million ruble fine ($16,700), with her jail term confirmed today.Following the news, stars have shared their support for Griner on social media.Sharing an article on the sentencing, Bieber wrote on Instagram: ‘This hurts. If anyone knows of anyway I can help please let me know.’Bravo’s Andy Cohen simply tweeted: ‘BRING BRITTNEY HOME.’‘Brittney Griner.

Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for months after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, has officially been found guilty of drug possession and smuggling by a Russian court.On Aug. 4, the Phoenix Mercury player was sentenced to 9 years in prison and given a fine of 1 million rubles (approximately $16,500) after she was found guilty. Brittney has had an uphill battle trying to have her criminal case acquitted in a trial that experts said was unlikely to be fair and that Russian authorities are using her as a diplomatic bargaining chip amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.The Olympic gold medalist has played in Russia for the last seven winters, earning more than $1 million per season -- more than quadruple her WNBA salary, according to the Associated Press.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years behind bars in a Russian prison on charges of smuggling drugs into the country. Wow.

Hoping for a solution. After Brittney Griner was convicted of drug smuggling in Russia, plenty of WNBA players and other celebrities weighed in to express their support for the athlete.

American basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison and given a fine of 1 million rubles (approximately $16,500) by a Russian court on Thursday, after she was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling. Prosecutors had asked that she receive 9 1/2 years in prison.The trial concluded nearly six months after Griner's arrest at a Moscow airport in a case that has reached the highest levels of U.S.-Russia diplomacy, with Washington proposing a prisoner exchange.

William Earl Brittney Griner, the WNBA player who was tried in Russian court for drug smuggling after bringing cannabis oil into the country, has been sentenced to nine years in jail, the Associated Press reports.President Biden issued a statement about the verdict, writing, “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.

American basketball star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling by a Russian court on Thursday. Prosecutors have asked that she receive 9 1/2 years in prison.

The United States government has proposed a prisoner swap with Russia that would see the return of Brittney Griner, CNN reports. Griner is an American basketball player with the Phoenix Mercury currently facing 10 years in prison in Russia for possession of cannabis – Griner has said during her trial that the cannabis was prescribed for chronic pain and that she brought it into Russia by accident.

Stephen Curry is calling for the release of Brittney Griner.

2022 ESPY Awards, Steph Curry used his platform to deliver an impassioned message about Brittney Griner, the imprisoned WNBA star who has spent the past five months behind bars in Russia.Joined by Griner's teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith and fellow WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike, Curry explained said that, amid the night's celebration, they needed to «acknowledge one [athlete] who isn't here» — Griner.«Because Brittney isn't just on the Phoenix Mercury, she isn't just a member of her team in Russia, she isn't just an Olympian, she's one of us — the team of athletes in the room tonight and all over the world, a team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict,» Curry shared.Ogwumike detailed all of Griner's innumerable accomplishments, sharing, «BG is a WNBA champion, she's an eight-time WNBA all-star, a national champion in college, an Olympic Gold Medalist, an athlete who has fans all over the world, and a human being whose predicament commands our attention.»«It's been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,» an emotional Diggins-Smith shared. «All throughout that time, we've kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts, even though we know that's not nearly enough to bring her home.»«We cannot stop fighting for her, we cannot believing for her, and we will not stop hoping for the day we can welcome her home safely,» Curry concluded, before all three declared in unison, «We are BG.»Later in the evening, Megan Rapinoe took home the ESPY Award for Best Play, and used her acceptance speech to also show her love for Griner, and emphasize the importance of keeping the fight going.«BG deserves to be free.

entered a guilty plea before the court, which analysts believe may have been her best chance at securing an eventual pardon, or at least leniency, given the Russian court system's near-perfect conviction rate.Maria Blagovolina, one of the lawyers representing Griner, said her legal team had presented evidence Friday including «characterization materials, medical records and tax returns.» Among the medical documentation was a doctor's prescription for the substance that Griner admitted bringing into Russia mistakenly as she packed her bags in a rush.  Friday was the fourth hearing in the Phoenix Mercury player's trial. She's facing up to 10 years in prison on drug possession and smuggling charges.

Brittney Griner pleaded guilty in Russia on Thursday to drug possession and smuggling charges, telling a Moscow court she brought marijuana into the country by accident.Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after Russian officials claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage. A Russian judge ordered Griner, the Phoenix Mercury center who played in Russia during the WNBA off-season, to remain in custody.«I would like to plead guilty on the charges against me, but I had no intention on breaking any Russian law,» she said in court.

Paul Whelan have said they are “astonished” that US President Joe Biden has not spoken to them personally while he remains detained in Russia. Elizabeth Whelan, the 49-year-old’s sister, said the Biden administration had not spoken with them since May in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. Hours earlier, Mr Biden said he and vice president Kamala Harris had spoken with the wife of the WNBA star Britney Griner amid her trial in Moscow and calls from her supporters for her release.

Kim Kardashian took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday in support of freeing Brittney Griner, the WNBA standout who has been in custody in Russia for more than four months in what federal authorities call a wrongful detainment.The 41-year-old celebrity reposted a post comic Amy Schumer, 41, put up last week accompanied by a shot of Griner, 31, appearing in a Russian court. Schumer captioned the shot: 'Let’s go everybody.

Brittney Griner, sooner rather than later.Brittney, whose trial began last week, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February after Russia claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage. A Russian judge ordered Brittney, the Phoenix Mercury center who played in Russia during the WNBA off-season, to remain in custody for the trial's duration. If convicted on drug smuggling charges, Brittney could face 10 years in a Russian prison.

Brittney Griner was delivered to the White House on Monday morning, according to the Griner family, who provided excerpts to reporters. In her letter, the imprisoned WNBA star pleaded with the president not to forget her, and said her already deep appreciation for Independence Day has taken on new meaning this year. «I'm terrified I might be here forever,» wrote Griner, who has been detained in Russia since mid-February. «On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran.

Russia extended WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention until at least July 2, state news agency Tass reported Tuesday. Griner has been in Russian custody since February, when she was arrested at a Moscow airport and accused of smuggling cannabis oil in her luggage.