Britney Greiner (Phoenix Mercury), who was released after being detained in Russia for drug smuggling, played the first game of the WNBA preseason.

Griiner recorded 10 points and 3 rebounds while playing about 17 minutes in a preseason evaluation match against the LA Sparks held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on the 13th (Korean time).

This evaluation match was Phoenix’s last mock test before the opening of the 2023 season WNBA regular league, and her first official match after Greiner was released last December and returned to the United States.

Greiner, who won the US women’s basketball team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was active in the Russian league in the 2021-22 season, which was not the WNBA off-season.

However, she Greiner was arrested on charges of drug smuggling in February of last year while trying to enter Russia via a Moscow airport in possession of an e-cigarette cartridge containing cannabis-derived oil. A Russian court sentenced him to nine years in prison.바카라사이트

In response, the US government started negotiations directly with the Russian government. And in December of last year, it succeeded in bringing Greiner in exchange for Viktor Butt, a Russian arms dealer who was serving a prison term in the United States for illegal arms sales.

Greiner missed the entire 2022 season of the WNBA due to this, but signed a one-year contract with Phoenix to keep her active career going.

Grider, who built his body in line with the opening of the 2023 WNBA season, raised his sense of practice through the evaluation match that day.

“I’m just grateful that I’m here. I won’t take a day for granted,” he said after the game.

He said that he was emotionally charged when the US national anthem, ‘The Starry Flag’, was played before the game. “Hearing the national anthem definitely feels different than before,” said Greiner. said.

After the preseason warmup, Greiner is now preparing for the WNBA season. Phoenix will play its first game of the season with an away game against the Sparks on the 20th.