Whatever Happened to Brittney Griner?

Griner’s detention in Russia just days before the Ukraine invasion is a woeful tale of crime, punishment, politics, and bad timing.

Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN on July 14 2019; the Lynx won the game 75–62. (photo: Lorie Shaull)

WNBA all-star and Olympic athlete Brittney Griner’s life changed forever on February 17, 2022. A frequent Russian league player in the off-season, Griner was traveling through the Moscow airport when Russian authorities allegedly found marijuana vape cartridges in her suitcase.

It might have been a fairly minor charge, and under normal circumstances, Brittney Griner would have probably been home by now.

If Russia hadn’t invaded the Ukraine on February 24.

In the weeks leading up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it must be remembered, President Biden was already warning the world of an imminent attack- while Putin denied any such intention vehemently and often. On February 17, however, when Griner was arrested, Putin already knew he might soon need a bargaining chip.

While the Russian government has denied that Griner is a political prisoner, insisting she is being held on criminal charges, no one much believes the Russian government this side of the Ukraine conflict.

“The State Department in May designated her as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its Special Presidential…