Brittney Griner Russian Prison Release Update As WNBA Star is TIME Cover
TIME magazine has revealed a former Baylor basketball star as the cover subject on its latest issue with the title "Brittney Griner and the Fight for Freedom."
Former Baylor Bears basketball star and Phoenix Mercury center Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for allegedly possessing cannabis oil. This offense can net up to 10 years in a Russian federal prison.
The 31-year-old was training in the country during the WNBA's offseason and was set to make her way back to the States before her arrest. Since then, the WNBA and many U.S citizens have clamored for the government to take action to bring her home.
And after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared Wednesday that the United States was in the process of completing a deal to bring Griner home via prisoner exchange, her potential release gained significant traction.
It's fitting that the promising news came just a few hours before TIME's reveal ... all of which cannot come soon enough for her friends and family.
Griner issued a guilty plea to a Russian court on July 7 and also included an ask for mercy from the judge. Griner claimed that, while she did commit the crime, she did so inadvertently.
The former Baylor star was the No. 1 overall pick in 2013. As a WNBA Champion, eight-time All-Star, and Olympic gold medalist, she's started all 254 games in her WNBA career while averaging 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.8 blocks on 56 percent shooting.
In four seasons in Waco, Griner's performance made her become one of the best college basketball players of all time. She led Baylor to an overall record of 106-5 during her final three years, which included a 40-0 finish in 2011-12. She averaged 22 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and an astounding 5.1 blocks per game during her collegiate career.
