Brittney Griner has her detention extended by Russian authorities

Russia’s detention of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been extended as her Phoenix Mercury teammates, friends, family and fans fight to bring her home.

After 117 days, Russian authorities announced that WNBA superstar Brittney Griner would be detained for an additional 18 days.

Griner is being held in pre-trial detention as she now awaits a trial scheduled for July 2, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

TASS also reported that Griner’s detention has been extended at “the request of the investigation,” per a representative from the Khimki Court of the Moscow Region.

On Feb. 17, Griner was arrested for allegedly transporting cartridges of hashish oil through Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is located near Moscow. Griner has spent the WNBA offseason playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014, allowing her to earn a substantial sum compared to what Griner earns as one of the WNBA’s top players.

The news means that Griner will be detained throughout June, and as the United States celebrates Pride Month, Griner remains in a vulnerable situation as a Black lesbian woman in a country that “systemically discriminates” against Black and LGBTQ+ individuals.

WNBA star Brittney Griner remains in Russian detention for another 2 weeks

The WNBA isn’t the same without Griner, and it isn’t just because the 6′ 9″ Mercury center towers over the rest of the league in regards to her accomplishments. At just 31 years old, Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a 2014 WNBA champion, a seven-time WNBA All-Star, and an eight-time WNBA blocks leaders — and those are just a few of her accolades.

The Mercury, who went to the WNBA Finals last fall with Griner on the court, are currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference with a 5-9 record. Mercury players have been open about how Griner’s absence has gravely affected their team, with head coach Vanessa Nygaard opening up about how Griner remains in the minds of her players, per Cronkite News’ Sameer Malla.

"“It’s an unusual situation that no one’s faced before. I was talking to a player before the game, and she was just talking about when we went to Indianapolis, and she was there and we rode around on scooters. We all got scooters, and we rode around. And that was just a year ago.I was thinking about going there after a year. And all those little things, right, walking in a new place, walking into a new gym, staying in the hotel that we stayed together, all of those things. So those people who play with BG for so long, have to have constant reminders. And the stress that I placed on the players is … I don’t know how to equate it. The emotional toll is a real thing.”"

Fortunately, Nygaard and the Mercury team had the opportunity to meet with the U.S. State Department on Monday for a debrief on the Griner situation.

As Mercury teammate Brianna Turner stated, the best that basketball fans can do to bring BG home is to continue to amplify her plight and pressure the government to further negotiations for her release.