By: Jaden Sun

Recently, WNBA player Whitney Griner was convicted in Russia for smuggling marijuana. This created tension between Russia and the United States and brought the players on her team to tears.

Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after customs officials said they found hashish oil, a cannabis derivative, in Griner’s luggage at a Moscow airport. She was attempting toe enter the country to play for UMMC Yekaterinburg, a professional women’s basketball team.

Her team, The Mercury, was heartbroken by the sight of her behind bars. They watched with tear-filled eyes as Griner fought through her own tears and pleaded with a Russian court not to “end her life” for an “honest mistake.” Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. The opportunity for a prison swap is still there but the anguish held back by these basketball players remains.

“And we’re still supposed to play this game,” Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith said after the game, adding an expletive. “Nobody even wanted to play today. How are we even supposed to approach the game and approach the court with a clear mind when the whole group is crying before the game?”

The situation at hand is truly heartbreaking for the WNBA community and we can only assume that it will get worse from now on.