THE TIMES Russia’s Political Prisoner Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who has played in Russia like many other WNBA stars, tries to power her way past Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker during a game in 2021. Photo credit: Ralph Freso/AP
Just Another Pawn in the Game By Kristen Jones Since basketball star Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia in February 2022 on drug charges, the world has waited with bated breath for nearly six months to see what would happen to her. We’re still not certain. In August 2022, Griner went from a WNBA “Dunk Champion” to a Russian prisoner for possessing 0.702 grams of cannabis oil in cartridges. And while that may not seem like much to a lot of people, according to officials in Russia, it is “a
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significant amount” of drugs and warranted the nine-year jail sentence that she received. Born in 1990, the Texas native has been in the spotlight a lot in her lifetime, having attended Baylor University where she set records for being the only NCAA player to score 2,000 points and have 500 blocks in her career. The three-time All-American was also named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in 2012. Moreover, Griner is one of only 11
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women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship. While some argue that the star player is being used as a political pawn in the Russia-Ukraine War to punish the United States for siding with Ukraine against Russia, right wingers in the U.S. argue that Griner’s punishment fits the crime, saying that she “carried illegal drugs into Russia” and deserves her sentence. They also claim that her support for
The African Heritage Magazine
| Summer 2022
