U.S. officials: WNBA star Griner now considered wrongfully detained

The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, two U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Since then, U.S. officials had stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained and said instead that their focus was on ensuring that she had access in jail to American consular affairs officials. Now, though, U.S. officials have shifted supervision of her case to a State Department section that is focused on negotiating for the release of Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries. It was unclear what prompted the shift in approach, though President Joe Biden’s administration had been under pressure from members of Congress and others to make her release a priority.“brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,”said Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas.

Meanwhile, the WNBA announced Tuesday that it would honor Griner with a floor decal and allow the Mercury to pay her without it counting against the team’s cap. The decal will feature Griner’s initials, BG, as well as her No. 42. All 12 teams will have it on their home courts. The Mercury open their season at home Friday night against the Las Vegas Aces.