Brittney Griner is 'OK' despite extended Russian detention and denied appeal for house arrest, source says

• Brittney Griner is "OK" despite being in a Russian jail, a person close to the situation told Insider.
• The WNBA superstar has met with her legal team "multiple times a week," the source added.
• On Friday, Russia announced Griner's detention would be extended into May.

Brittney Griner — the WNBA superstar who has been held in Russia for several weeks — is doing "OK" in Russian jail, a source close to the situation told Insider.

The 6-foot-9 center has been in Russian custody since February 17, when agents at Sheremetyevo Airport claimed to have found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Since then, the source told Insider, Griner's "Russian legal team has seen her multiple times a week."

A month to the day after her arrest, Griner was spotted in handcuffs at a Moscow court as her legal team challenged her continued detention:

—Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) March 17, 2022

The source told Insider that Griner's legal team approached Thursday's hearing "with the hopes of having Brittney transferred to house arrest." Instead, the court ruled that the two-time Olympic gold medalist must remain in custody until at least May 19 — a decision that "was not unexpected," according to the source.

The person — who is familiar with Griner's legal circumstances but spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for Griner's continued safety — stressed that Thursday's proceedings were "not a hearing on the merits" of her drug-related charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

"The investigation is still ongoing," the source said. "Once it has concluded, a trial date will be set. Until then, the court extends detention by periods of time."

"If the investigation is not finished, the May hearing is to contemplate how much longer the court needs to extend," they added.

Russian media outlet TASS reported Thursday that Griner's only grievance in captivity was that the beds in her jail cell are too small for her 6-foot-9 frame. She's sharing a cell with two other inmates, both of whom speak English and have helped her navigate the situation.

In the days leading up to her arrest, Griner was traveling to Russia to play for European powerhouse club UMMC Ekaterinburg, as she's done every WNBA offseason since 2014. 

About half of WNBA players travel overseas in the winter to supplement their relatively low salaries from the domestic league. Stars command significantly higher salaries abroad than they can possibly earn in the states, and Griner is the quintessential example of that pay divide.

This year, the seven-time WNBA All-Star is set to take home a league-maximum $227,900 annual base salary from the Phoenix Mercury, though she's eligible to make more between bonuses and marketing opportunities should she stay in the US for the winter. She reportedly earns $1 million per season with the UMMC Ekaterinburg, according to The Arizona Republic's Jeff Metcalfe.

Even under ordinary circumstances, this two-season-per-year lifestyle is far from ideal. Without proper time to rest and rehabilitate their bodies, athletes like Griner often find themselves dealing with nagging injuries in addition to accelerated wear and tear that can cut their professional careers short.

But during moments of international crisis — like the early days of the pandemic or right now, as Russia wages war in Ukraine — WNBA players taking on second jobs overseas becomes all the more perilous. Thanks to the rapidly deteriorating relationship between her home country and her off-season abode, Griner may find herself collateral damage in the fiery feud between two global superpowers.

Even despite the tenuous geopolitical situation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is prepared to "provide every possible assistance" to Griner and other citizens detained abroad, per ESPN.