Multiple reports stated that a court appearance extended the detainment of the All-Star by a month. Despite not being formally charged with a crime, Griner was expected to appear in court on May 19. The case could be moving to trial soon if the early appearance yielding a short extension of her now three-month detainment signals. It's not clear what led to a change in his status.
She was in a Russian prison after she was arrested for trying to bring a product into the country. The United States government now considers her to be wrongly imprisoned.
The U.S. isn't waiting for the case to play out through Russia's legal system and is negotiating her return to America, with no clear progress as of yet. The United States changing her status as a wrongful prisoner doesn't mean Russia will change its opinion on her arrest. Any Russian legal action is irrelevant to America.
Russia's brutal war against Ukraine makes it difficult to detainment. She may be a hostage in response to American sanctions against the country because she is seen as a powerful asset to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In February, the long-time Phoenix Mercury star flew to Moscow to join her Euro League team. Since joining Russia's international team in the summer of 2014, she has earned over $1 million per season, more than quadrupling her yearly WNBA salary. She was taken into custody at the airport after a search of her bags.
The three American teammates of Griner left Russia a few months ago. The US State Department kept a low profile on the case until last week, when they decided to not make her a more valuable asset to Putin.
Since she was given wrongful-detentionee status, the case has brought attention to the WNBA players and other parts of the U.S. government. The season began last week with the league adding floor decals with her initials and her number on the home-court sideline.
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