At least 32 Americans has signed on to play in Russia’s top basketball league next season, despite Brittney Griner’s harrowing experience, according to USA TODAY.
Griner played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg for seven years during the WNBA offseason when they got arrested a week earlier at a Moscow airport Russia invaded Ukraine. Griner admitted she was carrying a tiny amount of cannabis oil in her suitcase, which she forgot to take out before traveling back to Moscow. In August Griner was convicted to nine years in a Russian penal colony.
Russian roulette?
Most players who are still willing to take the risk are lesser-known names, USA Today says, with the most well-known player being James Enniswho has played for 10 NBA teams.
just a woman
Unique Thompson, who joined Indiana Fever as the 19th draft pick in 2021 before accepting a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings, said she will play in Russian. Her agent said Thompson “supports Brittney” but felt playing in Russia gave her the best chance of “getting back into the WNBA.” An experienced agent described the decision US TODAY as “playing Russian roulette, no pun intended”.
Boycott of Russian basketball leagues
As more information emerges about athletes signing up for the new season in Russia’s top basketball leagues, calls to boycott them are mounting.
Do Russian oligarchs value women’s basketball more than we do?
Griner, an eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, along with about 70 other WNBA players, has augmented their relatively meager income over the years by playing in Russia. Most of them have been lured into playing in Russia for annual salaries as high as five times their WNBA salary.
The vast majority of Russian basketball teams are owned by billionaire Russian oligarchs by the way.
“Russia was so far ahead of the US in terms of paying women basketball players because it attracts foreigners — and…
