- Brittney Griner said that the beds in the Russian jail where she is being held are too small, according to TASS.
- A Moscow court also announced that Griner's arrest will be extended until May 19, TASS reported.
- Griner was detained at a Russian airport in February after vapes were found in her luggage.
Russian state media has reported that WNBA star Brittney Griner's only grievance in Russian captivity is that the beds are too small for her 6-foot-9 frame.
"The beds in the cell are clearly designed for a shorter person," Ekaterina Kalugina, a member of Moscow's Public Monitoring Commission who visited the basketball player in the detention center, told Russian media outlet TASS.
Aside from the bed issue, Kalugina said that Griner "has no complaints about the conditions of detention" and that she's "calmly accepted the situation in which she found herself."
Griner has been detained in Russia since her arrest on February 17, when, according to the New York Times, agents at Sheremetyevo Airport found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
Since her arrest, American authorities have been quietly negotiating her release and safe return to the United States, US Rep. Colin Allred told ESPN.
TASS reported on Thursday that a Moscow court announced they are extending Griner's arrest and she will remain in custody until at least May 19. The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
"The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19," the court said, according to TASS.
Kalugina told TASS that Griner's two cellmates have helped her navigate the situation in jail.
"Griner is in the same cell with two neighbors," Kalugina told TASS. "They also had no previous convictions and are charged with drug-related articles. They speak English and help Griner communicate with the prison administration."
"They helped her order books: she reads F. M. Dostoevsky and biography of the members of the Rolling Stones," she added.
At the time of her arrest, Griner was headed 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. Several other WNBA stars — including Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Emma Meesseman — also play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.
These players command significantly higher salaries abroad than they can possibly earn in the states. This year, Griner is set to take home a league-maximum $227,900 annual base salary from the Mercury, though she's eligible to make more between bonuses and marketing opportunities should she stay in America for the winter.
But only in recent years has her payday climbed into the six-figure range. With UMMC Ekaterinburg, she reportedly earns $1 million per season, 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.
Even despite the tenuous geopolitical situation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ESPN the US is prepared to "provide every possible assistance" to Griner and other citizens detained abroad.
"There's only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point," Blinken said of Griner. "Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia."