By: Phoebe Shi

Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was convicted of drug charges in Russia hours before her former team was about to play.

Before the game, Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard stood confused on an empty court. The WNBA team was supposed to play against the Connecticut Sun at seven p.m., and weren’t on the court for their usual pregame shoot-around.

The players were instead in the locker room, watching their teammate’s conviction on the news. She was charged with drug possession and smuggling charges. Griner fought and begged the Russian court to not “end her life” because of an “honest mistake.”

“It was like you’re waiting for a bomb to drop,” Mercury guard Diamond DeShields said.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. A penal colony is a remote location distanced from the general population used to exile prisoners. She was also fined one million rubles, which equates to around $16,000.

Eventually the team got out to the court and did a version of the shoot-around, but their spirits were dampened. Right before the tipoff at that night’s game, the players, referees, and coaches locked arms in solidarity for 42 seconds, mirroring Griner’s jersey number.

“We are B.G.” fans chanted.

The Phoenix Mercury lost the game 77-64. The game’s leading scorers were the Mercury’s Skyler Diggins-Smith, who had 16 points, and the Sun’s Jonquel Jones, who had 14. Neither team, though, was paying attention to the numbers.

“It just hurts — I love her as a player, and it’s just a sad situation,” said Sharon White, a Connecticut Sun fan. “She doesn’t need to be there. When she comes home, she doesn’t need to go back. I think none of our players should go over there.”