WNBA

WNBA star Brittney Griner testified at her drug trial in Russian court on Wednesday that her rights were not properly explained when she was detained at a Moscow airport in February.

Per Vladimir Isachenkov of the Associated Press, Griner said the language interpreter provided during her questioning "translated only a fraction of what was said and officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation."

Griner was arrested in Russia, where she has played basketball during the WNBA offseason with UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2013, in February when a customs agent found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her carry-on bag.

She has been detained for 160 days despite the U.S. State Department classifying her as wrongfully detained in May.

After word of Griner's detention was made public in March, many WNBA players offered their support for her and urged the United States government to take steps that would bring her back home.

Brittney's wife, Cherelle Griner, spoke with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in June about their efforts to get Brittney home.

Griner's trial at Khimki City Court, just outside Moscow, began on July 1. The eight-time WNBA All-Star pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7.

Per ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's guilty plea was a strategic move to help facilitate a prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S.

Quinn also noted the plea was a "recognition that there was no way she was going to be acquitted."

Sean Gregory of TIME reported July 7 that a prisoner swap between the two countries remained "in play" with Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer found guilty of conspiring to sell weapons to a terrorist organization in 2011, possibly being sent back to Russia for Griner.

U.S. officials have not commented on the prospects or possibility of a prisoner trade.

Per the AP, Griner noted in her testimony on Wednesday she was "offered neither an explanation of her rights nor access to lawyers and was instructed to sign documents without receiving an explanation of what they implied."

If Griner is convicted on charges of transporting drugs, she faces up to 10 years in prison. At a closed-door preliminary hearing in June, the court extended the Phoenix Mercury star's detention by six months to Dec. 20.

There has been no official indication how long her trial will last.

The Las Vegas Aces used a dominant first quarter to take a 93-83 victory over the Chicago Sky in the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday. Kelsey Plum led the way with 24 points, six assists and two steals.

With the win, the Aces take home the $500,000 prize pool with each player on the team set to receive around $30,000. Chelsea Gray scored 19 points and was named Commissioner's Cup MVP, which earned her an additional $5,000.

The Sky were led by Candace Parker, who had a team-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. Emma Meesseman and Kahleah Copper each added 18 points. Chicago players were awarded around $10,000 each.

Plum started the game with three triples to spark a 13-0 run for Las Vegas. The Aces put the game out of reach in the opening period, taking a 33-14 lead after the first quarter. The Sky never held a lead in the entire game.

Plum didn't take her foot off the gas and connected on a season-high six three-pointers.

In addition to Plum's scorching play Tuesday, Jackie Young added 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. A'ja Wilson was an absolute force with 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks.

Chicago eventually cut the deficit to under 10 points late in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

The Commissioner's Cup was implemented in 2021 as an in-season tournament for the first half of the year. The Aces and Sky both went 9-1 in the 10 designated Cup games in order to reach Tuesday's final.

The second half of the 2022 WNBA season is set to begin Thursday night. The Aces and Sky will both be back in action Friday.

The marriage between Liz Cambage and Los Angeles Sparks has come to an end five months after she signed with the team.

The Sparks announced Tuesday they have agreed to a "contract divorce" with the four-time All-Star.

"It is with support that we share Liz Cambage's decision to terminate her contract with the organization," Sparks managing partner Eric Holoman said. "We want what's best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably. The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth."

Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports TV reported earlier Tuesday that Cambage "quit" the Sparks and "wants out" of Los Angeles.

Mike Robinson of The Ball Out first reported Monday that Cambage would leave the team and that "it won't be made public until Tuesday at the earliest."

Cambage signed a one-year deal with the Sparks in February after playing for the Las Vegas Aces in 2019 and 2021. She sat out the 2020 season because of health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was L.A. or out for me," Cambage told reporters after joining the Sparks. "There was nowhere else I wanted to be."

Despite their 12-15 record entering play Tuesday, the Sparks are tied with the Dallas Wings for the sixth seed in the playoff race. Derek Fisher was fired as head coach and general manager June 7 following a 5-7 start.

The Sparks have played marginally better under interim head coach Fred Williams. They have a 7-8 record since Fisher's dismissal.

The Tulsa Shock drafted Cambage second overall in 2011, but she only played in the 2011 and 2013 seasons before taking a hiatus from the WNBA to prioritise her career in China and with the Australian national team.

In 2018, she returned to the WNBA on a multiyear agreement with the Dallas Wings.

The Wings dealt Cambage to the Aces in 2019 after she requested a trade out of Dallas. The 30-year-old center made the All-Star team in each of her two seasons with Las Vegas.

In 25 games for the Sparks, Cambage is averaging 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.

On Tuesday, WNBA star Brittney Griner's lawyers testified in a Russian court about the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in other parts of the world.

Griner, who was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for carrying vape canisters containing cannabis oil, has been in custody for 158 days and is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), one of Griner's lawyers, Alexander Boykov, said after Tuesday's hearing that while Griner accidentally brought the vape cartridges with her to Russia, it was important to explain the legality of marijuana in the United States and how and why it is used:

"We are not arguing that Brittney took it here as a medicine. We are still saying that she involuntarily brought it here because she was in a rush. The Russian public has to know, and the Russian court in the first place has to know, that it was not used for recreational purposes in the United States. It was prescribed by a doctor."

Another of Griner's lawyers, Maria Blagovolina, also commented: "We have a lot of mitigating factors. So we do hope that the court will take it into consideration. And the courts in Russia, in fact, have very broad discretion with regard to the sentence."

During Tuesday's proceedings, Griner managed to pass on a message to her wife, Cherelle Griner, telling an ABC News producer that she wanted to wish her luck on the bar exam:

In May, the United States government determined Griner was being "wrongfully detained" in Russia, per ESPN's T.J. Quinn, but any attempts to bring her back home have been unsuccessful thus far.

Earlier this month, White House officials confirmed that Griner managed to get a letter from Russia to United States President Joe Biden.

In one portion of the letter, Griner mentioned herself and other American prisoners in Russia:

"Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."

Griner, 31, has played professionally in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013 and has played in Russia during WNBA offseasons since 2014.

In the WNBA, Griner is an eight-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and one-time WNBA champion.

She was selected as an honorary All-Star at the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month, and every WNBA team has displayed her initials and jersey number on their courts this season.

Seattle Storm star Tina Charles added to her legendary career Sunday.

In the second quarter against the Atlanta Dream, Charles became the fourth player in WNBA history to score 7,000 points, joining Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson and Tamika Catchings.

Charles got off to a scorching start against Atlanta on Sunday, scoring 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first half alone. It's her seventh straight game scoring in double figures.

The 2012 WNBA MVP, Charles has already established herself as one of the best players in league history. She's an eight-time All-Star and was selected to an All-WNBA team nine times, with five selections to the first team. She's a two-time scoring champion and four-time rebounding champion, and she has been honored on an All-Defensive team four times.

Charles began the season playing with the Phoenix Mercury, but she parted ways with the team after 18 games and signed with the Storm as a free agent. Despite not winning a championship in her career, the 33-year-old said it's more important to her to have the right people around her.

"At the end of the day, championship or not in my career, but the way I went out was playing with upstanding individuals, upstanding character players and coaching staff," Charles told reporters after signing with Seattle. "That's not to say that's not what it was in Phoenix, but I just felt that this opportunity, there was more there from what I saw and what I heard and having close relationships with the players."

Playing alongside stars like Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, this might be Charles' best chance at winning a title. The Storm are 17-10 entering Sunday and sit in fourth place in the standings.

A bipartisan resolution introduced by Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona in the United States Senate on Thursday calls for the immediate release of WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Kelly said in a statement:

"I've worked with the State Department to make sure that Brittney Griner's safe return is a top priority, and this bipartisan resolution shows the Senate's support for her as well. Brittney Griner is an inspiration to Arizonans and Americans across the country. I've had the pleasure of meeting her and seeing her talent on the court up close. The Russian government unjustly detained Brittney and we will keep working with the administration to ensure her safe and swift return."

The resolution calls for the United States to push for Griner's release in all interactions with Russia. It also calls for Russia to provide the WNBA star with consular access as she continues to remain in custody. She has been detained for 154 days as of Thursday.

In addition, it voices support for Paul Whelan, another American who is detained in Russia, and other "prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation."

The resolution was co-written by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and co-sponsored by 27 senators, including Sens. Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Warren, Ted Cruz, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February 17 after being arrested at a Moscow airport for allegedly carrying vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty in Russian court earlier this month and faces up to 10 years in Russian prison if convicted. The guilty plea could be a tactic to speed up the trial or be required in order to facilitate a possible prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia, per the AP's Jim Heintz.

The 31-year-old wrote a letter directly to President Joe Biden earlier this month asking for help in obtaining her freedom.

"I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American Detainees," an excerpt of the letter read, per ESPN's TJ Quinn. "Please do all that you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."

The Biden administration reclassified Griner as wrongfully detained in May. By doing so, the U.S. signaled that it would not wait for her case to play out in a Russian court and instead begin negotiations for her release.

Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday "aimed at increasing the flow of information to families of Americans detained abroad and at imposing sanctions on the criminals, terrorists or government officials who hold them captive," per Eric Tucker of the Associated Press.

The U.S. State Department is continuing to work diligently for Griner's release and still views the case as a "top priority."

Griner has been in the WNBA since being selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA draft. Since then she has earned seven All-Star selections in nine seasons and has also represented the United States at the Olympics.

The WNBA has announced special rule changes that will be used in Sunday's All-Star Game.

The one-off rules will include a four-point shot, a 20-second shot clock and automatic points for free-throw attempts instead of having players take those shots from the charity stripe.

Players will only attempt free throws only in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and, if needed, overtime.

The four-point shot will be marked on the court in four locations (two on each end of the floor) and 28 feet away from the basket.

The rule changes should increase the pace of play and offensive output. The highest-scoring All-Star Game in WNBA history was the 2019 contest that saw Team Wilson beat Team Delle Donne, 129-126. The league adopted the format of having captains pick teams four years ago after previously pitting the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference.

WNBA legends Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm will co-captain the teams this year along with A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and the Storm's Breanna Stewart.

Fowles and Bird have announced they intend to retire at the end of this season. Bird is appearing in her 13th career All-Star Game, the most in WNBA history.

The WNBA has also announced that Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February, will serve as an honorary starter. President Joe Biden told Cherrelle Griner, Brittney's wife, this week he is working to get her home.

All-Star Weekend will begin Saturday with the return of the Skills Competition for the first time since 2019. The Three-Point Contest will also take place Saturday afternoon.

The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

The WNBA's three-point queen will be back to defend her crown.

Three-time champion Allie Quigley headlines the field for the 2022 Three-Point Contest in Chicago on Saturday. The Chicago Sky guard might only shooting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc this year, but her reputation speaks for itself.

Five others will look to outshine Quigley in the Windy City:

2022 WNBA Three-Point Contest Field

• Ariel Atkins, Washington Mystics 
• Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream 
• Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm 
• Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings 
• Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces 
• Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky

Based on current form, the Las Vegas Aces' Kelsey Plum is the strongest contender in the field. She's averaging a league-high 3.2 made threes per game and knocking down 42.0 percent of her long-range jumpers.

The 2017 No. 1 overall has steadily improved over her WNBA career, and the arrival of head coach Becky Hammon has allowed her to finally hit her offensive game to reach new heights.

The Seattle Storm's Jewell Loyd and Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale will be formidable challengers as well.

Neither is a dead-eye shooter from the perimeter. Loyd is a 38.7 percent three-point shooter this year while Ogunbowale is slightly worse at 37.2 percent. But both are capable of catching fire on the right night.

Loyd was 6-of-8 from deep in an 85-71 win over the Washington Mystics on June 23. On the same night, Ogunbowale went 6-of-9 as the Wings hammered the Indiana Fever 94-68.

Marine Johannes of the New York Liberty and Lexie Brown of the Los Angeles Sparks headline the biggest omissions from this year's Three-Point Contest.

France international Johannes has only appeared in nine games for the Liberty after returning to the team in June. During that time, though, her threes percentage has been high, succesfully shooting 47.4 percent of her shots from the three-point line.

Brown, meanwhile, is enjoying her best year to date, fueled partially by her significantly improved shooting. She's knocking down threes at a 45.9 percentage after having never finished a year at better than 38.5.

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu is back level with Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker atop the WNBA's all-time triple-double leaderboard after tallying 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Wednesday's road win over the Las Vegas Aces.

Ionescu and Parker each have three triple-doubles, with the Sky star holding the record to herself for just two weeks after regaining the top spot on June 23.

The Liberty cornerstone answered back with a spectacular performance that saw her become the first WNBA player to accomplish two feats as part of a triple-double: at least 30 points and no turnovers, per ESPN's Mechelle Voepel.

"I'm just trying to be the best that I can every time I step out on the floor," Ionescu said. "It's me versus me. I'm trying to get better and continue to learn from all the situations that I've been put in."

Ionescu is in the midst of a breakout season, averaging 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 steals across 21 appearances.

It's the type of All-Star play that was expected when the Liberty selected her with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, but she was limited to three games as a rookie because of an ankle injury and then endured an up-and-down 2021 season.

Now she's playing like an MVP candidate, though she's more focused on trying to help the Liberty turn a corner after a sluggish start to the campaign.

"As long as we win, it doesn't matter, but I'm trying to be the best that I can in all aspects of the game," Ionescu told reporters after Wednesday's victory.

New York currently sits ninth in the WNBA standings with a 9-12 record, and the top eight squads qualify for the playoffs. The team has 15 games left in the regular season.

Although there's plenty of time left for movement up the standings—the Liberty are just one game behind sixth—it's worth pointing out the Sky sit atop the WNBA with a 15-6 mark, creating a path to a possible first-round showdown between Ionescu and Parker.

For now, they'll probably spend the remainder of the campaign trading the triple-double record back and forth.