(Reuters) – Brittney Griner, the American basketball player being detained in Russia, will have her initials and jersey number 42 stencilled onto the courts of all 12 WNBA teams this season, the league said on Tuesday.
The season tips off on Friday.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
The Russian customs service said 31-year-old Griner was in possession of vape cartridges containing hash oil.
Her detention comes at a time of high tension between the United States and Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
The WNBA said Griner will be paid her full salary while in detention and that the Mercury have been granted roster and salary cap relief so that it can carry a replacement player.
Griner, who helped lead the Mercury to the WNBA finals last season, won Olympic gold medals with the U.S. in 2016 and 2021 and is a seven-times All-Star.
The 31-year-old, who plays in Russia during the WNBA’s winter off-season, has been detained since February.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Ken Ferris)
