How Brittney Griner became a pawn in the US-Russia geopolitical war

The Texas-born basketball player is an international star – and US authorities believe she is being wrongfully detained, writes Andrew Buncombe

Brittney Griner has been playing at the highest level of basketball for more than a decade (Getty)

Brittney Griner has an extraordinary reach. She stands at more than two metres in height (6ft 9in) and if you watch her in action you will see she puts it all to good use.

She loves to shoot, to drive at the opposition – and she delights fans by hanging onto the rim after dunking. She is Black and outspoken, and for a number of years, she has been one of the most exciting players in American women’s basketball – a powerful influence not just within the sport itself, but in the broader culture that supports it.

In 2013, when she was just 22, she was the one draft pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association league, signing for the Phoenix Mercury, where she was picked to play in the centre position. That year, she was the first openly gay athlete to be sponsored by Nike.