“Hearing directly from the people who are working to free BG was helpful!! The State Department stated their support for us as a team & asked for us to keep up our efforts in publicly supporting her,” Griner’s teammate Brianna Turner tweeted.
Russian state media agency TASS reported that WNBA star Brittney Griner had her detention extended through July 2 as U.S. officials continue to demand for her release.
The U.S. State Department considers Griner “wrongly detained.” The Russian government claims that Griner was arrested in February for possessing hash oil.
The 31-year-old has been one of the league’s most prolific stars since her 2013 professional debut. She is a seven-time All-Star and consistently one of the WNBA’s top scorers.
The announcement by Russian officials comes a day after the Phoenix Mercury met with State Department officials about Griner.