Brittney Griner set to serve 9-year prison sentence after her appeal was denied / News - Basketnews.com

Britney Griner's appeal against her conviction on drug charges was denied by a Moscow court. Now, the 32-year-old will have to spend the next 9 years in jail unless she makes another appeal.

Credit: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool-SCANPIX Credit REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool-SCANPIX

Britney Griner's nine-year prison sentence will have an immediate effect, as the Russian court dismissed the WNBA star's appeal in a lengthy hearing Tuesday morning.

The 32-year-old did not appear in person for the minutes, but attended via a videoconference feed from her prison cell. She looked trampled throughout the process when cameras caught her both sitting and standing behind bars.

Griner and her team of attorneys hoped that authorities would overturn previous sentences in the case, or at least shorten her prison term. They argued that the punishment was not appropriate for the crime.

However, Griner’s team had predicted this result. On Monday, her attorney admitted that she "didn’t expect a miracle to happen."

It’s unclear if Griner has any further avenues to appeal this decision. Griner has pleaded guilty in court but insisted she did not intend to break the law.

She received her first sentence in August. The U.S. alleges Griner was wrongfully detained, and multiple U.S. officials say they offered Russia a significant deal, including a prisoner exchange to bring her home.

A few hours before Griner's appeal was dismissed, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the NBA was told not to put a bigger spotlight on Griner's story.

"[We] have been very public about our belief that she deserves to be released at this point," Silver said. "Even to the extent she was convicted of a minor crime, any punishment at this point is dramatically disproportionate."

Silver also hopes that, eventually, Griner will be granted mercy.

"There should be mercy, of course, for anyone in her position, and we've had direct conversations with the White House, with the State Department, you heard opening night, Steph Curry spoke out about her incarceration.

To be quite honest, we are doing everything we know available to us, which is to continue to raise her profile and have direct conversations with the U.S. government on all levels. But beyond that, it's frustrating for everyone, it's enormously frustrating for her family, but I'm not sure what else we could be doing right now," Silver added.

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