With the arrest of WNBA Star Brittney Griner, a lot of athletes are avoiding traveling to Russia. They feel it is unsafe for themselves. But before her arrest, Griner felt that Russia was her second home, and she has more than a handful of reasons to go play in the Russian League during the WNBA off-season.

Griner was arrested in February as she was detained at a Moscow Airport. It was reported that she was carrying illegal substances in her luggage. And after that, she was put on trial and subsequently found guilty. She was then sentenced to nine years in prison.

At the same time when all this happened, the tensions between the United States and Russia were very high as well.

Brittney Griner went to Russia despite warnings from US intelligence services

Griner was reportedly warned against traveling to Russia by US intelligence services. Griner had been going to Russia since 2014 and plays for the UMMC Ekaterinburg. The club pays her a salary greater than $1 million, which is far more than what she would make in the WNBA. But that was not all.

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Her wife, Cherelle Johnson, stated that Griner took pride in winning four titles in Russia. She said,?“BG loved playing in Russia. They value women’s basketball”.?Her coach at UMMC Ekaterinburg, Maxim Rybakov testified at her trial saying, “She called Yekaterinburg her second home, and this is not an empty phrase. Even after the warning from the U.S. intelligence agencies, Brittney was determined to continue playing for the team.”?

He also called Griner the team’s moral leader. Her teammates also had huge praise for her and they said that they couldn’t put into words what Griner has meant to them over these years.

WATCH THIS STORY: WNBA star Brittney Griner’s saga in Russia the entire timeline

Brittney Griner is currently the subject of negotiations between the two countries. The US government reportedly offered Russia a prisoner exchange to get Griner and another US citizen, Paul Whelan, back home. US President Joe Biden met the two families and stated that they were working tirelessly to get them back home. And talks between both countries are said to have been progressing.

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