Brittney Griner's detention in Russia extended through at least July 2.

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Brittney Griner latest: Phoenix Mercury get State Dept. briefing and Hall of Famer calls for release

US basketball star Brittney Griner.
 

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Dennis Rodman says he is going to Russia to help WNBA star Brittney Griner: 'I know Putin too well'

Dennis Rodman says he is going to Russia to help WNBA star Brittney Griner: 'I know Putin too well'


Former NBA star Dennis Rodman is planning on traveling to Russia to seek the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was recently sentenced to 9.5 years in prison on drug charges. Rodman told his plans to NBC News on Saturday.
"I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl," Rodman told NBC News at a restaurant in Washington D.C. "I'm trying to go this week."

There were no details released on exactly what permission he was referring to, but Rodman just needs a visa from Moscow -- regardless of the fact that the US has issued a travel advisory because of the current Russian invasion in Ukraine. President Biden's administration is not condoning the NBA legend's plan.

"It's public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russians and anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts," a US government senior official told NBC News.


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U.S. government may not want Dennis Rodman to go to Russia to try to help Brittney Griner


Five-time NBA champion and Basketball Hall of Fame forward Dennis Rodman said he plans to visit Russia to advocate for Brittney Griner. A hostage negotiator told Insider that Rodman’s proposed visit is a “terrible idea” and one that could potentially put the former NBA player in danger. The U.S. Department of State has issued a strong advisory to not travel to Russia. Rodman, however, likely believes otherwise. He described Putin as “cool” after he took a trip to Moscow in 2014. He has also maintained a friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Here is the latest update on the developing story (via NBC News):


“Former NBA player Dennis Rodman said Saturday that he plans to visit Russia to seek the release of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges earlier this month.
‘I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,’ Rodman told NBC News at a restaurant in D.C. “I’m trying to go this week.'”

The U.S. government, however, may not actually want Rodman to do this:

“He is more likely to hurt than help, said a senior Biden administration official.
‘It’s public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russians and anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts,’ said the official.”

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Dennis Rodman decides not to go to Russia on mission to rescue Brittney Griner


Dennis Rodman will not be going to Russia to try to help free incarcerated WNBA star Brittney Griner. Last Saturday, the former NBA star had told NBC News that he was going to Russia to free the incarcerated player. “I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Mr Rodman had said. “I’m trying to go this week.” But on Monday, following a stern warning from an official at the US State Department, Mr Rodman confirmed to ABC News that he will not in fact be taking that trip.

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Why Aren't Russian Billionaire Owners Of Brittney Griner's Basketball Team Helping Get Her Out Of Prison?


Brittney Griner’s sentencing to nine years in a Russian penal colony, which let’s admit, evokes some scary images and brings to mind Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.” Set in a Soviet labor camp, the short novel describes the prisoner’s struggle for human dignity. Judging from the brief images of the six-foot-nine WNBA superstar being escorted to her Moscow court appearances, the last of which ended with the draconian no nine-year sentencing over less than a gram of cannabis oil, Griner appears to have her human dignity intact.

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Brittney Griner was detained in Russia on Feb. 17 on accusations that she had hashish oil in her luggage.


BRITTNEY GRINER
 

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Joe Rogan And Aaron Rodgers Rip VP Kamala Harris Over Brittney Griner Hypocrisy


Joe Rogan has a bone to pick with Vice President Kamala Harris over the Brittney Griner situation. When Griner was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence in Russia earlier this month after pleading guilty to carrying vape pens filled with Marijuana, Harris called for the WNBA’s star immediate release due to being wrongfully detained. Rogan went on to rail against the White House for promising to exonerate people who were jailed for marijuana offenses while running for office but failing to do so after winning the election.

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Despite Brittney Griner's imprisonment, these Americans still plan to play basketball in Russia

Dan Wolken, Chris Bumbaca and Lindsay Schnell,

Brittney Griner sits in a Russian jail cell, trapped in a legal system with few protections. Her case, along with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has prompted the State Department to issue stern warnings urging Americans not to travel to Russia. Yet dozens of American basketball players are still planning to play in Russia this season. USA TODAY Sports has identified at least 31 men and one woman who are expected to play – with the signings confirmed by either the player's representation or the team itself – in Russia’s top professional league, a development that several basketball executives and global security experts view as highly risky considering the ongoing tensions between the American and Russian governments.


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Biden and civil rights leaders discuss voting rights, policing and Brittney Griner at White House meeting


Civil Rights leaders met with President Joe Biden Friday to discuss the issues of voting rights, criminal justice and police brutality. Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League; Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN); Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; and Thelma Daly, chair of the National Council of Negro Women, appeared before the press on Friday after privately meeting with Biden to discuss solutions for issues plaguing the Black community.

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Trump called detained WNBA star Brittney Griner 'a potentially spoiled person' while criticizing proposed prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer
"She went in there loaded up with drugs into a hostile territory where they're very vigilant about drugs. They don't like drugs," Trump said. "And she got caught. And now we're supposed to get her out – and she makes, you know, a lot of money, I guess – and we're supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world."
 

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Brittney Griner's Russian detention hits 200-day mark


Monday marked 200 days since WNBA star Brittney Griner was first detained in a Russian airport. The Phoenix Mercury center was arrested Feb. 17 with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner, 31, was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on Aug. 4 on drug smuggling and possession charges. United States President Joe Biden has said Griner is being "wrongfully detained." Diplomats for Russia and the U.S. have reportedly discussed a prisoner swap to bring Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan home in exchange for the release of convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Griner is a seven-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year with career averages of 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 254 games.

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Brittney Griner Is 'Stressed' in Russian Prison as She Awaits the Start of Her Appeal Hearings


Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years. After the trial, Blagovolina had said the sentence was "absolutely unreasonable," and that she and Griner's legal team will file an appeal as soon as possible.

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