A number of WNBA all-star players have decided not to return to Russia due to safety concerns following the imprisonment of Brittney Griner.
Russia has been the preferred off-season location for WNBA players due to more generous salaries that can exceed $1,000,000 as well as better resources and amenities.
However, since the highly-publicised legal issues Brittney Griner has faced, other players have concerns about playing there in the winter months.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling with criminal intent, according to a Russian court.