Greiner in prison for drug charges in Russia to return to WNBA league in May

American basketball player Britney Greiner (33), who was sentenced to prison last year in Russia for drug smuggling and imprisoned, 메이저놀이터 will return to the WNBA league for the 2023 season.

ESPN, an American sports media outlet, reported on the 19th that “Greiner signed a one-year contract with the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and will participate in the WNBA season 2023, which opens in May.”

Greiner was active in the Russian League during the 2021-2022 season, the off-season of the WNBA, and was arrested on charges of smuggling drugs while entering Russia in February of last year.

At the time, Greiner explained that he was “prescribing medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes,” but a Russian court sentenced him to nine years in prison.

Greiner, who was imprisoned in Russia last December, was released in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Butt, who was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States in 2012 for illegal arms sales.

Greiner was nominated by Phoenix with the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, and is a league-leading player with 8 All-Stars and 2 scoring titles.

As a member of the U.S. national team, she also won gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Griiner averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the WNBA in the 2021 season, leading Phoenix to a championship runner-up.

In the 2022 season, she was detained by Russia and could not play in the WNBA league.