BREAKING: Brittney Griner Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison

US basketball player Brittney Griner stands in a defendants’ cage before a court hearing during her trial on charges of drug smuggling, in Khimki, outside Moscow on August 2, 2022. – Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport in February 2022 just days before Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine. She was charged with drug smuggling for possessing vape cartridges with cannabis oil. Speaking at the trial on July 27, Griner said she still did not know how the cartridges ended up in her bag. (Photo by EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug smuggling and cannabis possession charges in a Russian court on Thursday. The verdict comes after a trial that lasted one month.

The American basketball star’s case has been caught up in the deep crisis between Moscow and Washington over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Griner said during her court testimony last week that she knew about a U.S. State Department advisory warning American citizens not to travel to Russia, but wanted to rejoin her team anyway and it cost her big time.

Soon after her guilty verdict, Griner was informed she would spend the next 9 years in a Russian prison.

BREAKING: Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years by Russian court.
Daunting but expected sentence. Effectively closes 1st chapter in her detainment and moves her fate to the diplomatic world. Real length of detention will be however long it takes to reach deal between US & Russia.
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) August 4, 2022

The only way Griner is coming out of there is the Biden administration doing a prisoner swap.