First photo emerges of Brittney Griner after US basketball star arrested in Russia

The first photo of popular American basketball star Brittney Griner has surfaced after she was arrested and detained in Russia.

Detained WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been photographed for the first time since she was arrested at a Russian airport last month for having vape cartridges in her luggage.

The 31-year-old’s booking photo was aired on Russian state TV over the weekend, CNN reported.

Griner was pictured standing against a wall while holding a piece of paper with what appeared to be her name scrawled across it.

The photo, which wasn’t dated, according to the New York Post, was reportedly taken at a Moscow police station after the two-time Olympic champion was detained.

The Russian Customs Service said on Sunday the American basketball star had been taken into custody after it allegedly found cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage.

The customs service would not say when Griner was arrested, but Russian news sources said she has been in custody for three weeks.

Brittney Griner is reportedly being kept in a Russian jail.

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said on Sunday.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

USA Basketball, which oversees the Olympic teams, said on Twitter that it was “aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia”.

It added: “Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and wellbeing are our primary concerns.”

If convicted on drug smuggling charges, Griner could face between five and 10 years in a Russian prison.

Griner is one of the biggest stars in American basketball. (Photo by Christian Petersen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, has played during the WNBA off-season for the Russian team Ekaterinburg in the EuroLeague since 2015, helping the club to three Russian domestic titles and EuroLeague Women championships in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

More than a dozen WNBA players were scheduled to play in Russia and Ukraine this winter.

The WNBA confirmed on the weekend that all players — besides Griner — had already left both countries in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

The US State Department has since issued a “do not travel” advisory for Russia amid the invasion and urged all American citizens to depart immediately.

This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission