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In February, under mysterious circumstances, WNBA superstar, Brittney Griner was arrested by Russian officials at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. For the first time this week, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reported to Insider that the league is 100% in support of Griner. 

They are in daily contact with those close to Griner. And are concerned for the safety of the seven-time WNBA All-Star player.

The arrest took place as the US and Russia were in a stand-off over Ukraine. And the news that she was being held, along with the videos didn’t leak out till March 7th after Putin began his invasion of Ukraine.

https://youtu.be/FIpqekITK9U

Russian Invasion of Ukraine highlighted

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was returning to Russia to compete in UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian basketball league. This is the 7th seventh season, where she has played for Russia during the WNBA off-season. 

On February 28, The State Department issued a warning to U.S. citizens: “Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on spurious charges, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and have convicted them in secret trials and/or without presenting credible evidence.”

Griner was detained for at least two weeks before the warning.

In the meantime, according to the Russian news agency her detention in Russia has been extended.  “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19,” TASS reported.

WNBA Commissioner, players cautious 

 "We're in daily contact with her agent, her family, her legal representation. So, it's everybody coordinating on this and obviously, we don't want to do or say anything that is going to jeopardize her safety," WNBA commissioner Engelbert said.

Many experts are suspicious of the timing of WNBA superstar Britney Griner’s arrest. And some think the videos of her arrest seem staged. As her detention in a Russian jail continues, it becomes clear that Britney Griner is a hostage in Russia.

It took more than 3 weeks for the jailed US superstar to get U.S. consular visits. Typically, when an arrest is made of a US citizen in Russia the US embassy is immediately notified.  with the U.S. State Department, spokesperson Ned Price said U.S. consular officials visited Griner on March 23.

“We have, beyond one-off consular visits, continued to insist that Russian authorities allow consistent, timely consular access to all U.S. citizens who are detained in Russia.” 

Price said on Tuesday. “That includes those who are in pre-trial detention, including Brittney Griner. We are in frequent contact with her legal team, with her broader network, and we have no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, including those who are incarcerated in Russia.”

Basketball legend Lisa Leslie, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009, said the Basketball community is concerned. And they had been cautioned not to make a "big fuss" about the arrest.

On the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast Leslie told sports stars Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco, and Chantel Tremitiere about her concerns.

"So, what we were told, and again, this is all sort of passed along through hearsay. What we were told was to not make a big fuss about it so they could not use her as a pawn, so to speak, in this situation in the war. So, to make it like it's not that important, or don't make it like 'Free Brittney' and we start this campaign, and it becomes something they can use," Leslie said.

Griner is a phenomenon. Just to recap There have been 22 slam dunks recorded in WNBA history. And Griner is responsible for 14 of them.

Britney Griner is a US activist

An article in The Philadelphia Gay News says that “As a Black lesbian who is outspoken as an activist for LGBTQ youth, Griner’s sexual orientation has been mocked on Russian state TV, making her more of a target.”

And they noted, “As a Black woman who is 6’9″ with waist-length braids, Griner stands out in an airport. She would be an easy target. “