WNBA

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow met with Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for 259 days.

State Department spokesman Ned Price provided an update Thursday on Twitter:

Griner's wife, Cherelle, was a guest Tuesday on ABC's The View and shared a harrowing account of a conversation they recently had.

"Her mental it's not there, and she told me, 'I'm really just trying to hold on to the last bit of you that I can remember,'" Cherelle said.

A Russian court found Griner guilty of drug charges in August and sentenced her to nine years in prison, one year short of the maximum sentence. Her appeal was formally denied in October, and she expected to be moved to a penal colony to serve out her sentence.

CNN's Kylie Atwood, Evan Perez and Jennifer Hansler reported in July the Biden administration was prepared to release convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan. Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who was found guilty on espionage charges in 2018.

Natasha Bertrand and Frederik Pleitgen of CNN followed up to report Russian officials lobbied to include convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, who's in custody in Germany, as part of the prisoner swap.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged Thursday there had been conversations regarding a possible exchange.

"The U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens," she said, per NBC News' Lauren Egan.

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon is joining ESPN as an NBA analyst for the 2022-23 season, the company announced Thursday.

"I am very excited to contribute to ESPN's coverage of the NBA this season," Hammon said in a statement. "It will be a lot of fun working alongside ESPN's talented roster of broadcasters and having the opportunity to talk about the game that I love so much."

Hammon is coming off perhaps the best debut season for a WNBA coach in history, leading the Aces to the Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA championship while winning Coach of the Year honors.

"Becky is a pioneer in every sense of the word and we know she'll lend unique insights, based on her wide-ranging experience, to our NBA coverage," said David Roberts, ESPN's head of NBA and studio production.

ESPN says Hammon is expected to contribute to Get Up, First Take, SportsCenter and NBA Today, among other programs.

Before joining the Aces, Hammon made six WNBA All-Star teams and was named to the league's 25th Anniversary team. She went on to serve as a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach under Gregg Popovich from 2014 to 2022.

WNBA star Brittney Griner will begin serving a nine-year prison sentence at a Russian penal colony after the appeal of her conviction on drug charges was denied by a Moscow court.

Ann M. Simmons of the Wall Street Journal reported the update Tuesday.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 250 days since she was arrested at an airport in February after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage. She was sentenced in early August following a guilty plea and subsequent trial.

The court also ruled it will recalibrate her sentence based on time spent in pretrial detention, which could place her prison sentence closer to eight years, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the United States has held negotiations with Russia about a potential prisoner swap despite political conflict over the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. offered Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan, but National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN's Jim Sciutto that Russia responded with a "bad faith attempt" at a counteroffer in late July.

There's been little update on the state of negotiations since that initial exchange.

In September, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Griner's wife, Cherelle, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, to discuss his administration's efforts.

"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "He asked after the wellbeing of Elizabeth and Cherelle and their respective families during this painful time."

Griner was arrested while traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason as she'd done since 2014. The U.S. formally changed her status to wrongfully detained in May.

Other WNBA players who play in the Russian Premier League—a group of around a dozen—told the AP's Doug Feinberg they would find somewhere else to play this winter in light of the Griner situation.

"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," Breanna Stewart said. "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."

Griner is an eight-time WNBA All-Star who won a championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. She's also won eight titles with Ekaterinburg (four EuroLeague, three Russian League and one Russian Cup), two gold medals with Team USA and an NCAA title at Baylor.

Stephen Curry used a portion of the Golden State Warriors' ring ceremony Tuesday night to call for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia, where she's been held since being detained on drug charges in February.

Griner, whose 32nd birthday was Tuesday, received a nine-year prison sentence in August. She has appealed the decision.

The United States has engaged with Russia on discussions about a potential prisoner swap despite political tension related to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

In July, after the U.S. offered Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and fellow American detainee Paul Whelan, National Security Council communications director John Kirby told CNN's Jim Sciutto that Russia responded with a "bad faith attempt" at a counteroffer.

Few updates about the state of negotiations have been provided since Griner's prison sentence was announced.

Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, to discuss the administration's continued efforts to secure their release.

"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "He asked after the wellbeing of Elizabeth and Cherelle and their respective families during this painful time."

Griner was traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, as she'd done since 2014, when she was detained after Russian officials said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

"I still don't understand to this day how they ended up in my bags," Griner said during her trial in July. "I didn't have any intent to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia."

Several WNBA stars, including Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart, have made daily social media posts calling for her release.

Stewart and the other WNBA players who played in Russia last season—a group of around a dozen players—told Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press they wouldn't return to the Russian Premier League amid Griner's continued detainment.

Griner is one of the most decorated basketball players of her generation, having won four EuroLeague titles, three Russian Premier League titles, a WNBA championship and an NCAA championship. She's also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.

Cherrelle Griner said her wife, WNBA star Brittney Griner, is "at her absolute weakest moment in life right now" as she awaits an appeal hearing in Russia on Oct. 25.

Speaking to Gayle King of CBS Mornings, Cherrelle explained she became very concerned after a recent phone call with Brittney.

"You could hear that she was not okay," she said. "If you think about just a person's suffering and when they have suffered to a max…she was at the max that day."

Cherrelle noted Brittney's tone was in stark contrast to what she was like during the first phone conversation they had.

"The first time, she was delighted. It was just so delightful just to hear her voice," Cherrelle said.

Brittney Griner is awaiting an appeal hearing after a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison on charges of drug possession and smuggling.

Per ESPN's T.J. Quinn, the sentence was expected after Griner pleaded guilty to the charges in July.

"But she and her supporters have also been aware that Russia was not going to move forward with a trade that could bring her home until her trial was completed," Quinn wrote. "A guilty verdict was considered a foregone conclusion, and Griner pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law."

The Russian government originally detained Griner in February at Sheremetyevo International Airport for having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

She has been held in Russia for 231 days.

Griner was entering the country to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian Premier League. She joined the team in 2014 and has played for the club in between WNBA seasons as one of a number of WNBA players who play elsewhere during offseasons for supplemental income.

In the wake of Griner's sentencing, President Joe Biden issued a statement calling on Russia to release her. He added the administration will "continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan [a former U.S. Marine arrested on espionage charges in Russia in 2018] home safely as soon as possible."

Russia's foreign ministry said on Aug. 18 it was engaged in "quiet diplomacy" with the U.S. about a potential prisoner exchange involving Griner. The U.S. government has offered to send Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer, to bring Griner and Whelan home.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said the U.S. received a counterproposal from Russian officials that he described as "a bad faith attempt to avoid a very serious offer and proposal that the United States has put forward" in an interview with CNN (h/t Insider).

Cherrelle Griner told King she hopes a deal can be reached before the appeal hearing because Brittney could be "moved to a labor camp" if her appeal is denied.

Biden met with Cherrelle and Elizabeth Whelan, sister of Paul Whelan, in the Oval Office on Sept. 16 to assure the families the United States is doing everything in its power to get Brittney and Paul back to the country.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday the U.S. has yet to receive a serious response to its offer of a prisoner exchange and it needs "to see a serious counter-offer."

Brittney Griner will appeal her nine-year prison sentence during a hearing in Russian court on Oct. 25, according to Vladimir Isachenkov of the Associated Press.

The WNBA star has been detained for 228 days, since her arrest at the Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for drug possession. After pleading guilty to carrying cannabis oil in her luggage, she was sentenced to nine years in prison in August, just short of the 10-year maximum sentence.

Her lawyers later announced plans to appeal the conviction.

The United States State Department considers Griner to be "wrongfully detained" and is attempting to bring her home.

Cherelle Griner, Brittney's wife, met with president Joe Biden last month to discuss the administration's plan of action.

"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul [Whelan] home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

In July, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the administration had made a "substantial proposal" to Russia to facilitate the return of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving 16 years after being convicted of espionage.

According to ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's lawyers would be willing to drop the appeal if it helps facilitate a deal to free her.

Team USA will go for its fourth consecutive gold medal at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup after an 83-43 victory over Canada in the semifinal on Friday.

Breanna Stewart led the way for the Americans with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 20 minutes. A'Ja Wilson posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Americans used big runs in the first and third quarters to blow the game wide-open. They scored the first 15 points of the game en route to a 27-7 lead after the opening quarter.

Canada was able to slow down the U.S. offense in the second quarter, allowing just 18 points. But head coach Cheryl Reeve got her team back on track coming out of the break, as Team USA went on a 22-8 run in the third quarter to open up a 38-point lead.

Stewart told reporters after the game the U.S. squad wanted to play better Friday after having some sluggish moments in its quarterfinal victory over Serbia.

"There were moments that we played well, but there were a lot of moments that we didn't, and really making sure that that was the point of emphasis today," she said. "It was the way that we started the game, especially with our starters, that five, we wanted to make sure that we set the tone for the entire game."

The U.S. defense held Canada to a 21.9 field-goal percentage and 4-of-26 shooting from three-point range.

Friday's victory marked the 29th consecutive win in World Cup competition for Team USA, dating back to 2006. The U.S. can become the first country to win at least four straight titles in this tournament since the Soviet Union did it five times from 1959-1975.

Team USA will play China in the gold-medal game after the Chinese team defeated Australia 61-59 on Siyu Wang's free throws with three seconds remaining in regulation.

Ezi Magbegor was unable to connect on a contested layup attempt as time expired to give China the win. This marks China's first appearance in the FIBA World Cup gold-medal game since losing to Brazil in 1994.

The U.S. and China will tip off on Saturday at 2 a.m. ET from the Sydney SuperDome. Australia and Canada will play the bronze-medal game on Friday at 11 p.m. ET.

LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey declined to address Brittney Griner's ongoing wrongful detention in Russia.

During a media conference Monday, a reporter referenced Mulkey's general silence on Griner's plight while asking the coach for her thoughts.

"And you won't," Mulkey responded.

Chloe Jackson and Queen Egbo, who played under Mulkey at Baylor, didn't take kindly to the comment:

Griner is perhaps the greatest player to feature for Mulkey during her Hall of Fame coaching career. The former Baylor star was a two-time winner of the Wade Trophy and helped guide the Bears to a national championship in 2012.

Griner is second all-time in program history in points (3,283), third in rebounds (1,305) and first in blocks (748).

However, her relationship with her alma mater remained strained for years.

The Phoenix Mercury star, who's gay, told ESPN in 2013 that Mulkey and other Baylor assistants told players not to divulge their sexuality.

"It was a recruiting thing," she said. "The coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn't let their kids come play for Baylor."

Kate Fagan, who worked for ESPN at the time and helped with the story, claimed in May 2021 on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (via Insider's Meredith Cash) that Mulkey "believed that I had forced Brittney Griner to say this." Fagan went on to allege Mulkey spoke to her superiors and attempted to get her fired.

Griner later reflected in her 2014 memoir how Baylor's wider institutional stance on homosexuality made her feel less than and that "no matter how much support I felt as a basketball player at Baylor, it still doesn't erase all the pain I felt there."

In conjunction with Coming Out Day in 2021, Griner spoke with ESPN's Josh Weinfuss and again alluded to her difficulty at Baylor. She said she "wasn't giving everybody my whole authentic self" and didn't fully come out to herself until she left the school and entered the pro ranks.

With Mulkey no longer at Baylor and Nicki Collen now coaching the Bears, there was some hope the school would begin to formally honor Griner's contributions.

Last December, the seven-time WNBA All-Star told ESPN's M.A. Voepel she hopes to have her jersey retired, calling it "something I would definitely cherish and love." She also addressed her relationship—or lack thereof—with Mulkey.

"It's something I thought maybe we could have talked about," Griner said. "But it wasn't, really ... not with open ears, probably from both sides, from me or her. We're probably two strong-headed individuals. So it's tough. But I definitely wish Kim well. I know LSU got a good coach. So I'm happy for her."

Voepel also reached out to Mulkey, who said "she will always be grateful for what Griner did at the school."

Suns Legacy Partners, which manages the NBA's Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, released a statement Wednesday supporting Robert Sarver's decision to sell the two franchises.

"We agree that Robert Sarver's decision to sell the Suns and Mercury is in the best interest of the organization and community," the statement said while also acknowledging there is much work to be done.

Sarver released a statement Wednesday that blamed "our current unforgiving climate" for his decision to ultimately sell the Suns and Mercury:

"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.

"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible—that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement saying, "I fully support the decision by Robert Sarver to sell the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. This is the right next step for the organization and community."

Portland Trail Blazers guard and president of the NBPA CJ McCollum also released a statement that said, "We thank Mr. Sarver for making a swift decision that was in the best interest of our sports community."

The NBA commissioned an independent investigation after ESPN's Baxter Holmes published a report in Nov. 2021 on allegations of racist and sexist behavior by Sarver.

The league announced the findings on Sept. 13 and decided to suspend Sarver for one year and fine him $10 million—a lighter punishment than the 2014 decision to ban former Los Angeles Clippers governor Donald Sterling, who was recorded making racist comments about Black people, from the league for life.

The investigation into Sarver found he "engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards" that "included the use of racially insensitive language; unequal treatment of female employees; sex-related statements and conduct; and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying."

Among the findings were revelations that he used the N-word "on at least five occasions" and "engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, including by yelling and cursing at them."

Many believed the NBA's punishment didn't go far enough.

Jahm Najafi, who is the second-largest Suns stakeholder, called for Sarver's resignation. NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said he "should never hold a managerial position within our league again," while players such as LeBron James and Chris Paul weighed in as well:

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported there was no shortage of pressure applied on Sarver to sell the teams.

"There was a lot of private pressure on Robert Sarver behind the scenes," Shelburne reported. "We heard PayPal, but there were a lot of other league sponsors and team sponsors that were lining up to pull away from the Suns and not be publicly associated with them.

"There was also the pressure applied by other owners and Adam Silver behind the scenes. Adam Silver is obviously very good at applying pressure when needed to be and facilitating these types of conversations and discussions to get to this place."