WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for more than eight months now. She was arrested in February for carrying cannabis oil into the country. The Phoenix Mercury star plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the?Russian Premier League during the WNBA off-season. After several hearings, she was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court. Her representatives have appealed and there will be an appeal hearing on October 25. Furthermore, it looks like Griner is hopeful she would be back home soon.

A few days back, US President Joe Biden stated he would consider meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Bali if he was ready to talk about the basketball star. This gave a lot of hope to Griner and her family. But a few days later, a close aide of Putin stated?that Griner is not their top priority at the moment.

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This came as a huge blow in the hopes of bringing the former WNBA champion home. Despite this, Griner is not losing hope.

Brittney Griner is hopeful she won’t be in the Russian prison for long

Brittney Griner is hopeful that the appeal hearing on October 25 would be favorable for her. And that she could be back home soon. As per reports, the jail Griner is in has a basketball hoop. However, there is no basketball. Her lawyers offered to bring her one, but Griner told them not to. “She said, ‘Maybe if I’m here longer, but not now,'” one of her attorneys, Maria Blagovolina, said from Moscow on Wednesday.

Griner is hopeful the appeal goes her way, and that she doesn’t have to spend a long time in the Russian jail. There will be a lot of eyes on the appeal hearing five days from now.

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Ever since her arrest, the NBA and WNBA communities have been showing support and demanding her release. The WNBA and its players used their stage to raise awareness about her situation. Many celebrities showed their support as well. A few days back, U.S. soccer legend Alex Morgan showed her support. Like Morgan, Griner has won many Olympic gold medals for her country.

As the NBA season has started, superstars are showing their support for Griner as well. On ring night, Golden State Warriors?superstar Stephen Curry gave a shout-out to her ahead of their opening night game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18, which coincidently happens to be Griner’s birthday.