Many WNBA players choose to play overseas during the offseason in order to make more money. Russia is a particular popular destination because of the good pay, but because of Brittney Griner’s current situation and the country’s invasion of Ukraine, players are not planning on returning any time soon.
The Associated Press reported that none of the WNBA players who played in Russia last year will return until Griner is able to go back to the United States. Among them is Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, who plays for Ekaterinburg, the same Russian team Griner has played for since 2014.
“Honestly my time in Russia has been wonderful, but especially with BG still wrongfully detained there, nobody’s going to go there until she’s home,” Stewart told the AP. “I think that, you know, now, people want to go overseas and if the money is not much different, they want to be in a better place.”
Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones and Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot also played for Ekaterinburg, which is a team that has been dominating the European scene for almost two decades and won five EuroLeague titles in the past eight seasons.
Vandersloot will play in Hungary where she obtained citizenship in 2016. She told the AP that she will likely not feel comfortable playing in Russia for a while.
“The thing about it is, we were treated so well by our club and made such strong relationships with those people, I would never close the door on that,” Vandersloot said. “The whole situation with BG makes it really hard to think that it’s safe for anyone to go back there right now.”
Griner is currently serving a nine year sentence after being found guiltily on drug charges. On Feb. 17, Griner was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport when the Russian Federal Customs Service found vape cartridges containing the marijuana concentrate hashish oil in her luggage.
For a full explainer on Griner’s situation, click here.
