![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/gettyimages-1241566619-612x612-1.jpg?width=600)
via Getty
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/gettyimages-1241566619-612x612-1.jpg?width=600)
via Getty
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Renowned Sports reporter and commentator Kate Fagan has shared her perspective on the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russian. The former Philadelphia 76ers beat writer has been associated with women’s sports for a long time. She understands the challenges women face as athletes. In a recent interview, Fagan recognized that Griner’s situation was the ‘worst case scenario’ and a ‘universal example’ for WNBA athletes who choose to play overseas.
Brittney Griner is in exile in Russia for almost nine months now. She was sentenced to nine years in prison under drug possession and smuggling charges. Currently, BG is on her way to a Russian penal colony where conditions are expected to be brutal and inhumane.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Meanwhile, Fagan recently shared her take on the Brittney Griner saga. She co-hosts the ‘Off The Looking Glass’ podcast with Jessica Smetana. Fagan is also a New York Times bestselling author. Kate Fagan is set to release her third book, “Hoop Muses: An Insider’s Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women’s) Game.”
Kate Fagan takes about the Brittney Griner situation
During a recent interview, Fagan was asked if Britney Griner’s detention brought rare attention to the problems WNBA players deal with while playing in foreign leagues. The former ESPN columnist stated that a lot of positive discussions on the issue already existed. However, she believed that Griner’s situation has been “the worst-case scenario’ that has already been discussed before.
READ MORE: “Wake Up Who*es”: Terrorizing 3 Words Brittney Griner Could Be Subjected to, Revealed
Further, the 41-year-old stated that the discussions about the challenges and risks faced by WNBA stars playing overseas have been constant. Fagan revealed, “There is a lot of rich discussion matter that has always existed. What has happened with Brittney has been the worst-case scenario that has been hinted at before..”
“There has been a constant discussion on how difficult it is to play overseas and how risky it can be on various levels. Brittney is now a universal example of all of that,” she added.
Moreover, Fagan also mentioned a scenario when players came extremely close to a mass shooting event in Turkey. She was referring to the 2017 shooting disaster in a nightclub in Istanbul. Shockingly, three players of the Los Angeles Sparks were just next door to the incident.
In addition, Fagan felt that Brittney Griner’s situation would be a major example of the difficulties that WNBA players deal with while playing abroad.
Fagan disgusted by lack of support from Griner’s former coach
Kate Fagan revealed that she was surprised by former Baylor University coach Kim Mulkey’s lack of support for Griner. She believed that there are some critical situations where people need to keep their grudges aside and show their support. Thus, Fagan felt that Mulkey should have been more vocal about the ‘illegal’ detention of her former player.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/brittney-griner-court-080222-1-8c5fe1d6ee2e4438814c99db2fdac4a2.jpg?width=150&blur=15)
The renowned sports reporter also shared what she felt after reading Kim Mulkey’s statement about Brittney Griner. “When I read that, I was disgusted,” she added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: Did WNBA star Brittney Griner date 7-ft Lakers center, Anthony Davis?
Thus, Fagan suggested that Brittney Griner’s detention could act as an eye-opener for the WNBA, deeming her situation as a universal example.