STORY: The verdict against US basketball player Brittney Griner has caused great consternation in the United States. A Russian court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday for drug smuggling. The public prosecutor had demanded nine and a half years in prison, the defense an acquittal. The US said the verdict was unacceptable and demanded Griner’s immediate release. Phoenix Mercury’s Skylar Diggins-Smith was devastated. “No one wanted to play at all today. How do you approach the game, go on the pitch with a clear mind when the whole group is crying before the game. Because you’re trying to honor them and you’re trying to go out and still be hard on them to play.” Griner is a member of the Phoenix Mercury team in the WNBA. During the winter break, the two-time Olympic champion plays for the Russian club Ekaterinburg. The athlete was arrested at Moscow Airport on February 17 after cartridges for e-cigarettes containing hash oil were discovered in her luggage. in the US, she had been prescribed the cannabis for chronic pain. Before the verdict on Thursday, Griner had again pleaded guilty. At the same time, she said she did not intentionally violate the laws of Russia. Griner’s lawyers announced an appeal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was open to a possible prisoner swap with the United States on Friday.