A Russian court sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling U.S. President Joe Biden called “unacceptable.”
Griner was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs by police after the ruling, turning to reporters and saying: “I love my family.”
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star, was arrested in mid-February as she arrived to play for a Russian team during the WNBA offseason. The Texan’s case was thrown into the geopolitical maelstrom that was triggered when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, propelling U.S.-Russian relations to a new post-Cold War low.