(Bloomberg) -- When the WNBA season tips off Friday, there will be a league-wide reminder of one player's absence.
The league will honor Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner with her initials and jersey number featured along the sideline of all 12 WNBA courts.
“As we begin the 2022 season, we are keeping Brittney at the forefront of what we do through the game of basketball and in the community,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “We continue to work on bringing Brittney home and are appreciative of the support the community has shown BG and her family during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
Griner was arrested in Russia in mid-February for allegedly possessing a cannabis derivative.
The U.S. government now considers Griner to be wrongfully detained, ESPN reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with her case. The change in the designation means U.S. officials will seek to negotiate her return, rather than let her case play out in Russia's legal system, according to the report.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, will be paid her full WNBA salary.
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