Brittney Griner will formally appeal her conviction and sentencing on drug smuggling charges in Russia on Tuesday.
Women's National Basketball Association player Brittney Griner leaves the courtroom after the verdict in Khimki, outside Moscow, on Aug. 4. A Russian court found Griner guilty of smuggling and storing narcotics.Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images
Griner will observe Tuesday's Moscow court hearing by video feed from the women's detention center where she is being held outside the Russian capital. According to a statement released by Griner's legal team, the judge's verdict on her appeal is expected the same day — with Griner holding out hope for a reduction in her prison term.
Brittney Griner vies for the ball in the women's final basketball match between the U.S. and Japan during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in August 2021.Brittney Griner vies for the ball in the women's final basketball match between the U.S. and Japan during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in August 2021.Griner to nine years in prison for carrying less than a gram of hashish oil into Russia when she arrived for play in the Russian women's professional basketball league earlier this year.