WNBA players skipping Russia in offseason after Griner jailed

PHOENIX — Brittney Griner’s extremely publicized authorized woes in Russia and the nation’s invasion of Ukraine has the highest WNBA players opting to take their skills elsewhere this offseason.

For the previous few many years, Russia has been the popular offseason vacation spot for WNBA players to compete because of the high salaries that can exceed $1 million and the sources and facilities groups supplied them.

That all has come to an abrupt finish.

“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,” mentioned Breanna Stewart, a Griner teammate on the Russian staff that paid the duo hundreds of thousands. “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.”

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Griner was arrested in February, then detained and later convicted on drug possession costs amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Griner was sentenced final month to 9 years in jail.

Now, Stewart and different WNBA All-Stars, together with Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot — who even have made hundreds of thousands of {dollars} enjoying in Russia — are going elsewhere this winter. All three performed for Ekaterinburg, the identical Russian staff as Griner. That membership gained 5 EuroLeague titles in the previous eight seasons and has been dominant for almost 20 years with former greats DeLisha Milton Jones and Diana Taurasi playing there.

Nearly a dozen WNBA players competed in Russia final winter and none of them are heading again this 12 months.

After the World Cup match, Stewart goes to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe. Top players could make a number of hundred thousand {dollars} enjoying in Turkey, a lot lower than their Russian salaries. Playing in Turkey additionally permits Stewart to be nearer to her spouse’s household in Spain.

“You want to have a better lifestyle, a better off-the-court experience, and just continue to appreciate other countries,” Stewart mentioned.

Like Stewart, Vandersloot additionally is not headed again to Russia, selecting to play in Hungary the place she obtained citizenship in 2016.

“I’m Hungarian. I assumed it will be particular since I have never performed there since I acquired the citizenship,” Vandersloot mentioned.

The 33-year-old guard mentioned loads must change earlier than she’d ever think about going again to Russia to play though she has many fond reminiscences of the Russian folks.

“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,” she said. “The whole situation with BG makes it really hard to think that it’s safe for anyone to go back there right now.”

Jones will probably be becoming a member of Stewart in Turkey, enjoying for Mersin. The 6-foot-6 Jones mentioned she would think about going again to Russia if issues change politically and Griner was again in the U.S.

The Griner state of affairs is also weighing closely on the minds of younger WNBA players.

Rhyne Howard, the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, is enjoying in Italy this winter — her first abroad expertise. She mentioned was cautious when deciding the place she needed to play.

“Everyone’s going to be a bit cautious seeing as this case is occurring,” she mentioned.

It’s not simply the American players who’re not going to Russia. Chicago Sky ahead Emma Meesseman, who stars for the Belgium nationwide staff, had performed in Russia with Stewart, Jones and Vandersloot. She is also headed to Turkey this offseason.

The WNBA has additionally been attempting to make staying residence in the offseason a greater possibility for players. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert mentioned on the WNBA Finals that high players may make as much as $700,000 this 12 months between base wage, advertising and marketing agreements and award bonuses. While solely a choose few players may attain that quantity, roughly a dozen have determined take league advertising and marketing agreements this offseason.