WNBA players are boycotting playing for Russia amid Brittney Griner’s imprisonment after her sentencing.
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The league’s top players, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot, and Jonquel Jones, have opposed playing for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg team this winter. Although the earnings equal millions of dollars from playing in the country’s league, the players decided to stand in solidarity with Griner and won’t play until she’s freed. Stewart said she’s decided to play for Turkey with Jones while Vandersloot will play in Hungary for the offseason.
“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. 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,” she said to Associated Press.
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Vandersloot said Griner’s situation has made it unsafe for other players to play for the country.
“I am Hungarian. I thought it would be special since I haven’t played there since I got the citizenship. The thing about it is, we were treated so well by our club and made such strong relationships with those people, I would never close the door on that. The whole situation with BG makes it really hard to think that it’s safe for anyone to go back there right now.”
This year’s Rookie of the Year, Rhyne Howard, decided to play in Italy after carefully deciding on her first overseas career debut. However, the WNBA has attempted to encourage its players to stay home during the offseason, but the promises of making millions overseas override the suggestion for most players.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the top players could make about $700,000 this year with base salary, marketing agreements, and award bonuses.
Britney Griner was waiting for her appeal and was reportedly experiencing stress.
Griner is waiting for her appeal to be approved by a judge after filing for it amid her nine-year sentencing. Even if the appeal gets approved, her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said it could take months for the legal process, and she wouldn’t be released this year.
“We need to use every legal opportunity that we have, and appeal is one of these opportunities,”
However, there is a possibility that Griner will be a part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.