Efforts to bring Brittney Griner home have been hindered by the 'complex geopolitical situation with Russia'

• WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert offered an update on Brittney Griner's "unimaginable situation."
• The superstar has been detained in Russia since February on drug-related charges.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been held in Russia on drug-related charges since February.

Ahead of this year's WNBA Draft, league Commissioner Cathy Engelbert offered an update on the 6-foot-9 center's situation and the WNBA's continued efforts to bring her home.

"We continue to be working diligently on bringing Brittney Griner home," Engelbert said in a pre-draft press conference Monday evening. "This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in. She continues to have our full support."

"Certainly we're trying everything we can, every angle, working through with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration, just everybody in our ecosystem to try to find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can," she added.

Griner was taken into custody on February 17, when agents at Sheremetyevo Airport claimed to have found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. A month to the day after her arrest, the two-time Olympic gold medalist was spotted in handcuffs at a Moscow court as her legal team challenged her continued detention:

A source close to the situation told Insider that Griner's legal team approached the hearing "with the hopes of having Brittney transferred to house arrest." Instead, the court ruled that the she must remain in custody until at least May 19 — a decision that "was not unexpected," according to the source.

Engelbert acknowledged that the "very complex geopolitical situation with Russia" — and rising American tensions with Vladimir Putin's government over Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine — has complicated efforts to bring Griner home.

Still, the league has received "a ton of support from the government [and] from specialists" in navigating Griner's case, the commissioner said. And even though they've confirmed she's safe and doing "OK," Engelbert reiterated the league's commitment to bringing the Phoenix Mercury star home as soon as possible.

"It's really important to me that we get her home safely as soon as we possibly can, but it's a complex legal and political and diplomatic situation right now that we're working through," Engelbert said. "I know we're all frustrated, but we do need to be patient. The players have been amazing at following the advice that they're getting, and we're getting in order not to jeopardize her safety in any way."

"I told the players, quite frankly, I used to tell my daughter when she was little and still now that she's in her 20s, I would go to the end of the Earth to help you if you're ever in trouble," she added. "I say the same thing about Brittney Griner."

With the 2022 WNBA season tipping off in early May, Engelbert and the Mercury have kicked off "a league-wide philanthropic initiative" in Griner's honor. In 2016, the Texas native founded "BG's Heart and Sole Shoe Drive" after she witnessed houseless individuals struggling without shoes on their feet during the blazing hot Phoenix summers.

Griner began the effort by carrying extra sneakers in the trunk of her car to hand out to those who needed them. But once her franchise caught wind of the effort, they joined forces to collect new and gently used shoes to distribute throughout the community; more than 2,000 people have benefited from the shoe drives.

Now, all 12 WNBA franchises have committed to similar efforts in their markets in Griner's honor. Fans across the country can also donate to non-profit Phoenix Rescue Mission, which had partnered in past shoe drives, and include "BG" in the comments so the Mercury can track Griner's continued impact.

"The activations that we will do, the Mercury and the league, are intended to remind us of BG's spirit of giving and do the work she'd be doing if she were here," Engelbert said. "And certainly the work she will join us in when she returns."

Griner's charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but investigations into her alleged crimes are still underway in Russia. If law enforcement completes the inquiry by May 19 — the date of Griner's next court visit — they'll set a trial date shortly thereafter.

"If the investigation is not finished, the May hearing is to contemplate how much longer the court needs to extend [her detainment]," Insider's source said.