WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert this week said the organization is "working diligently" to get Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner out of Russia, CNN reports.
Griner was arrested by Russian authorities in February while playing for the team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason. She was accused of smuggling narcotics and could face up to 10 years in prison, according to CNN.
Griner was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA draft and is considered one of the best players the league has ever seen.
"We continue to be working diligently on bringing Brittney Griner home," Engelbert said Monday in a press conference before the league's draft. "This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in.
"She continues to have our full support, and she's just been such a great person in the league," the commissioner continued. "I can't be any more real about the situation that she's in.
"Certainly, we're trying everything we can; every angle, working through with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration — just everybody in our ecosystem — to try and find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can."
Engelbert went on to thank the league's players.
"I know we're all frustrated, but we do need to be patient," she concluded. "I know the players have been amazing at following the advice that they're getting ... in order not to jeopardize her safety in any way. We continue to follow that advice and continue to work on it."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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