Brittney Griner wished her wife 'good luck on the bar exam' from inside a cage at her drug trial in Russia
- Brittney Griner wished her wife good luck on the bar exam before a court appearance in her Russian drug trial.
- Good Morning America spoke to Griner who was held in a cage outside the Russian courtroom.
Brittney Griner wished her wife, Cherelle, good luck on the bar exam from inside a cage at her drug trial in Russia, Good Morning America reported.
Speaking to the detained WNBA superstar from outside the small, white cage in which she's held ahead of court appearances, ABC News producer Tanya Stukalova asked Griner if there was anything she wanted to say to her wife.
"Good luck on the bar exam," Griner replied.
She added that she currently has "no complaints" and that she is just "waiting patiently."
Griner held up a collage of photos of her family inside the cage.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been detained in Russia since February 17, when she was arrested at a Moscow airport after officials alleged to have found hashish oil and vape cartridges in her luggage. She has since pleaded guilty to the charges against her and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Her trial — which legal experts and hostage negotiators told Insider is a "show trial" with a "predetermined" outcome — has been underway since early July.
Griner's defense team has maintained that the Phoenix Mercury center unintentionally brought the marijuana products with her to Russia, as she was packing quickly and forgot to remove them from her luggage. Her lawyers have also asserted that Griner uses cannabis stateside for medical rather than recreational purposes, pointing to a prescription for medical marijuana she received from an Arizona doctor as evidence.
The Biden administration has said it is working hard to get Griner home and has been in touch with the Russian government to try to help facilitate the eight-time WNBA All-Star's release. The President has written a letter to Griner and, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, has spoken to her wife on the phone.
Just this week, Biden issued an executive order on "bolstering efforts to bring hostages and wrongfully detained United States nationals home." But legal experts and hostage negotiation specialists alike have suggested the move "won't help" Griner.
Sources have repeatedly told Insider that Griner's best chance of returning stateside anytime soon involves a prisoner exchange with Russia. Several experts explained that an unorthodox two-for-one swap involving another detainee, Paul Whelan, for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout could be the key to Griner's freedom.
As Griner's fight wages half a world away, the WNBA is in the middle of its 2022 season. Earlier this month, 22 of the league's top players traveled to Chicago for this year's All-Star Game.
The superstars vowed to use every tool at their disposal to urge the Biden administration to act — including wearing Griner's name and number on their jerseys during the All-Star Game.
"At the end of the day, we are going to do whatever we can to amplify the platform that we have to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to do to make sure that she gets home safely," Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson said. "It's hard. It's hard for all of us. It's not easy."
"Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about Brittney Griner," she added.