American professional basketball players who compete in Russia during the WNBA off-season are trying to return to the United States after Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine.
As several players’ agents said ESPNmany WNBA players in Russian women’s basketball Premier League plan to leave the country for the United States due to security concerns.
The problem, as one agent explained, is finding plane tickets. As Canada and much of Europe set out to restrict Russian aircraft from its airspace, the Kremlin responded by banning flights from 36 countries.
“For me, it’s far from ‘considering’ leaving,” longtime agent Mike Kound told ESPN. “I’ve been talking on the phone with two players for the last few minutes to practice flying. It is really urgent now, as there are a declining number of flights leaving Russia, and it will soon be difficult to make.
“It’s probably good if they stay put, but if things get worse, that may not be the case. My idea is, “Get them out now, if we can.” And if we can’t, we’ll make them come down and stay safe.
According to the ESPN report, some players remain undecided whether to leave Russia or not.
Cound and other agents demanded that their clients not be identified to protect players. However, several high-ranking WNBA stars are known to play for Russian teams, including former Phoenix Mercury Center Britney Greerner and current Seattle Storm striker Brianna Stewart, both of whom are teammates in Ekaterinburg.
Other WNBA players who competed in Ukraine have already been evacuated, according to the American League.
American professional basketball players competing in Russia during the WNBA off-season are trying to return to the United States after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Many agents have demanded that their clients not be identified to protect players. However, several high-ranking WNBA stars are known to play for Russian teams, including former Phoenix Mercury Center Britney Greener (right) and current Seattle Storm striker Brianna Stewart (left), both teammates in Ekaterinburg.
Ariel Atkins (pictured), a Washington Mystic guard who plays for Ukraine’s BC Prometey, returned to the United States last month but says he remains focused on his teammates facing the conflict in Eastern Europe. Now other WNBA players who competed in Russia are trying to return to the United States with the help of the American League and the Players’ Union.
In addition to Greener and Stewart (№ 42 and № 30 in the back row, respectively), other Americans who play for UMMC Ekaterinburg include Ali Quigley (bottom right) and Courtney Vanderslout (bottom left). It is not known which American players are trying to leave Russia
“The few WNBA players who competed this off-season in Ukraine are no longer in the country,” the league said in a statement to Sports Illustrated. “The league is also in contact with WNBA players who are in Russia, directly or through their agents.”
The WNBA players’ union is also monitoring the situation.
“We have been in constant communication with our members and their representatives for several weeks and will continue to keep up with current events,” the union said in a statement last week. “We are a union of 144 all year round and their safety is the highest concern.
“We shared information and advice from credible news sources and called on them to make a plan that would include liaison with embassies / consulates and the US Department of State’s SMART Passenger Program.”
Much of the WNBA plays in Europe in the winter and spring before the women’s professional basketball season begins in early May.
It is also reported that former NBA player Shabaz Napier has left Zenit in St. Petersburg. Napier is a former NCAA champion in Connecticut who plays for the Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards of the NBA, among other teams.
However, other Americans, such as former Kentucky star Alex Poitres, remained in Russia’s VTB United League during the conflict.
Poythress agents did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment on its near future. The former NBA player with the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers recently took part in the celebrations of the stars of the VTB United League, including the stabbing competition.
Former NBA player Shabaz Napier has reportedly left Zenit St. Petersburg. Napier is a former NCAA champion in Connecticut who plays for the NBA’s Heat and Wizards
(Left to right) American expatriates and BC Zenit teammates Billy Barron, Jordan Mickey and Alex Poitres are pictured during the VTB United League All-Star Festival. It is not yet known whether they will return to the United States from Russia during the ongoing conflict
Meanwhile, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, a former Lithuanian NBA player, has also left Zenit, according to numerous reports. Kuzminskas, as well as several other Lithuanian players, have reportedly left their Russian clubs due to their country’s opposition to the invasion.
Those Americans who managed to escape Ukraine, many of whom left a month earlier, remained focused on the conflict their teammates are facing.
Ariel Atkins, a Washington Mystic guard who plays for Ukraine’s BC Prometey, shared photos on Instagram of himself and his Ukrainian teammates wearing the country’s flag.
“I can’t even describe in words how proud I am of my Ukrainian teammates that they dried their tears and did their best tonight,” wrote Atkins, who fled Ukraine in January. “A lot of me is angry about what’s happening in the world. Please be aware of what is happening in the world and be aware of the consequences of a potential war and in this case a real war. Because if you think this will only affect Ukraine, think again.
Joyner Holmes, another American who plays for BC Prometey, wrote on Instagram that “it was so hard for all of us.”
“They are our friends, they are our teammates, they are our coaches,” Holmes told Sports Illustrated. “And they don’t have homes to go to right now.”
Ariel Atkins, a guard for the Washington Mystics who plays for Ukraine’s BC Prometey, shared photos on Instagram of himself and his Ukrainian teammates wearing the country’s flag.