Brittney Griner could 'hardly talk' after being handed 9 years in Russian prison, and was expecting half that, lawyer says

• A Russian court sentenced the basketball player to 9 years in prison.

• She was accused of trying to smuggle drugs into Russia.

• Her lawyer said she was devastated and could barely speak.

Lawyers for the basketball player said she was devastated after being sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison.

In an interview after a Moscow judge delivered her sentence, an attorney on Griner's legal team said they had expected a sentence less than half as long.

Customs officials at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport said they found cannabis oil in her luggage when she was deported from Russia.

Her punishment was close to the maximum for the charge of drug smuggler, which can lead to up to ten years in prison.

Maria Blagovolina said that she was very stressed after the hearing. It's hard for her.

Blagovolina said that she was devastated. She needs to digest what happened today because she is very upset.

Alexander and Blagovolina told People that the nine-year sentence was double what they expected. They plan to appeal, according to reports.

Less than four months after her arrest, she changed her plea to guilty in an apparent attempt to get a less severe sentence.

Blagovolina told reporters that she had been steeling herself and that she had been told that the day of her sentencing would be doomsday. Russian courts have a 99% conviction rate, and experts told Insider that she most likely already had a "pre-determined" outcome.

The president called the sentence unacceptable. His administration proposed a prisoner swap for her, offering a convicted Russian arms dealer for two other people.

The Kremlin's counteroffer was described by the White House as a bad faith attempt to avoid a very serious offer by the United States.

A US official told People on Thursday that they were still waiting for Russia to respond to the original offer, while the Russian foreign minister said on Friday that Russia was ready to discuss the proposal.

According to People, her lawyers said that she had not been able to speak to any friends or family since she was sentenced, but that she was going to try to get in touch with them next week.

During their game on Thursday, the Connecticut Sun and the Phoenix Mercury held a 42 second silence for the player in their shirt number.

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