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Brittney Griner Doesn’t Expect ‘Miracles’ as She Stares Down 9 Years in Prison, Lawyer Says

The jailed U.S. basketball star is facing down a nine-year sentence in a penal colony if the Russian appeals court doesn’t overrule or lessen her verdict.

Brittney Griner, the U.S. basketball star arrested in Russia for possessing hashish oil at a Moscow airport in February, “does not expect any miracles to happen” in her case, her lawyers said in a statement Monday. The update comes a day before a Russian court will hear an appeal of her nine-year sentence for drug possession and smuggling, which nears the maximum 10-year penalty for such charges. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist widely considered one of the best players in the WNBA, pleaded guilty at her trial, saying she had made an “honest mistake.” Her lawyers said Monday that Griner hoped the appeals court would reduce her sentence, though she was “very nervous” for the Tuesday hearing, which she will participate in via video link. “Brittney is very mentally strong and has a champion’s character,” said attorneys Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov. “However, she of course has her highs and lows as she is under an increasing amount of stress and has been separated from her loved ones for over eight months.”