Despite Warning From the USA, Brittney Griner Was Determined to Play for Russian Club Because of an Emotional Reason

WNBA star Brittney Griner has spent more than 200 days in a Russian prison. While U.S officials try and bring her back to the United States of America, fellow athletes and celebrities around the world are continuing to raise their voices for Griner.

The salaries of WNBA stars are not as glamorous as their NBA counterparts. Players like Griner resorted to playing the off-season overseas to earn a decent living. Brittney Griner played for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg for quite sometime before her controversial arrest earlier this year.

Many players like Breanna Stewart have come forward and expressed that they are skeptical of taking their talents to Russia following Griner’s detainment. Interestingly enough, it seems the US Intelligence had warned Griner to not play in Russia.

Maxim Rybakov, the General Manager of Griner’s Russian team revealed in a court hearing, “Even after the warning from the U.S. intelligence agencies, Brittney was determined to continue playing for the team.”

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The Phoenix Mercury star has spent the WNBA offseason in Russia since 2014. She also had an emotional connection to the city of her basketball club.

Cherelle, Brittney Griner’s wife, talked about how Griner holds Yekaterinburg in such high regard. “She called Yekaterinburg her second home, and this is not an empty phrase“, said Cherelle. According to her, Griner’s love for the place stemmed from the high regard they held for women’s basketball.

Brittney Griner earned a lot in Russia compared to the WNBA

The issue of low salaries in the WNBA compared to their counterparts in the NBA has been in the news for quite some time now. For instance, Griner earned about $227k yearly. On the other hand, the average salary in the NBA is around $7 million yearly.

While playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg, Brittney Griner earned more than $1 million. She received a moderate payment despite her absolute dominance on the hardwood.

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