Brittney Griner to Begin 9-Year Prison Sentence After Russian Court Denies Appeal

WNBA star Brittney Griner will begin serving a nine-year prison sentence at a Russian penal colony after the appeal of her conviction on drug charges was denied by a Moscow court.

Ann M. Simmons of the Wall Street Journal reported the update Tuesday.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 250 days since she was arrested at an airport in February after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage. She was sentenced in early August following a guilty plea and subsequent trial.

The court also ruled it will recalibrate her sentence based on time spent in pretrial detention, which could place her prison sentence closer to eight years, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the United States has held negotiations with Russia about a potential prisoner swap despite political conflict over the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. offered Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan, but National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN's Jim Sciutto that Russia responded with a "bad faith attempt" at a counteroffer in late July.

There's been little update on the state of negotiations since that initial exchange.

In September, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Griner's wife, Cherelle, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, to discuss his administration's efforts.

"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "He asked after the wellbeing of Elizabeth and Cherelle and their respective families during this painful time."

Griner was arrested while traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason as she'd done since 2014. The U.S. formally changed her status to wrongfully detained in May.

Other WNBA players who play in the Russian Premier League—a group of around a dozen—told the AP's Doug Feinberg they would find somewhere else to play this winter in light of the Griner situation.

"Honestly my time in Russia has been wonderful, but especially with BG still wrongfully detained there, nobody's going to go there until she's home," Breanna Stewart said. "I think that, you know, now, people want to go overseas and if the money is not much different, they want to be in a better place."

Breanna Stewart @breannastewart

It has been 249 days since our friend, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia. It is time for her to come home. @WhiteHouse @potus @vp , we are paying attention and we are counting on you. #WeAreBG

Griner is an eight-time WNBA All-Star who won a championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. She's also won eight titles with Ekaterinburg (four EuroLeague, three Russian League and one Russian Cup), two gold medals with Team USA and an NCAA title at Baylor.