WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after she was convicted on drug charges in Russia last week.
Griner initially pleaded guilty to the drug charges. She was arrested in February for bringing vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport. She had been detained ever since and is likely to be holed up in the country until the U.S. and Russia agree on a prisoner swap.
Lisa Leslie, a former WNBA superstar who won four Olympic gold medals during her illustrious career, attended Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s Ping Pong 4 Purpose event on Monday. She spoke to Fox News Digital on Griner’s sentencing.
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"It’s unfortunate," the former LA Sparks great said. "But I’m hoping that everything will end up moving in the right direction. I know they had asked for her to plead guilty, she did. Let’s hope we can get an exchange and get her home as soon as possible.
"Brittney’s always in our prayers and we are all hopeful that this can all come to an end soon."
Leslie said she believed Griner’s arrest and sentencing was a lesson for everyone.
NBA, WNBA CALL BRITTNEY GRINER'S SENTENCING 'UNJUSTIFIED AND UNFORTUNATE,' SPORTS WORLD REACTS
"And we learned a lot from that lesson that, you know, for all of us. We have to make good choices and really conscious of how we move because every country is not the same and the rules are different and we have to know that," she said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last month urging him to accept a deal for Griner and Paul Whelan, an American who was jailed on espionage charges.
Lavrov said last week in Cambodia at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that Russia was "ready to discuss" a prisoner swap but only via a dedicated Russia-U.S. channel set up by President Biden and President Vladimir Putin.
"If the Americans again try to engage in public diplomacy and make loud statements about their intention to take certain steps, it’s their business, I would even say their problem," Lavrov said. "The Americans often have trouble observing agreements on calm and professional work."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
