WNBA’s Brittney Griner Appeals Her Russian Prison Sentence

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner (C) is escorted in a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 4, 2022. Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo

MOSCOW—Lawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal of her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession, Russian news agencies reported Monday, amid talks between the United States and Russia that could lead to a high-profile prisoner swap.

Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.