Brittney Griner in 'Good Condition' After U.S. Granted Access to WNBA Star in Russia

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States was given consular access to WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who's detained in Russia, on Wednesday.

Price told CNN the U.S. official who met with Griner found her in "good condition" but he couldn't provide further details about her status:

Michael Crowley and Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times reported March 5 that Griner was detained by Russian officials in February after customs officers allegedly found "vape cartridges that contained hashish oil" in her luggage.

A Russian court ruled last week Griner's detention would be extended through at least May 19 as the investigation continues, per ESPN. She faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of illegally importing narcotics.

Her attorney, Alexander Boykov, argued in court Russian officials took too long to charge the 31-year-old American and failed to provide her with initial access to a lawyer or U.S. Consulate officials, according to the ESPN report.

Jonathan Franks, who works with Americans who are detained by hostile governments, told CNN it's a "huge mistake" to take the Russian allegations at face value and he described his view of the Griner situation as a "very wrongful and arbitrary detention."

"They're making her out to sound like a drug kingpin," Franks said. "I think that it is unlikely that Ms. Griner will get a fair trial because nobody gets a fair trial in Russia. It's a rigged game."

Griner's detention comes amid amplified tensions between the American and Russian governments because of Russia's ongoing military invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which is set to enter its second month after the initial invasion began Feb. 24.

The United States and its allies have levied wide-ranging sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion, but U.S. President Joe Biden has maintained American military forces won't be sent in to help Ukraine defend its territory.

"That's a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another," Biden said while announcing initial sanctions against Russia in February.

Griner was traveling to Russia for the resumption of the 2021-22 Russian Premier League season. She's played for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014. Several WNBA players compete overseas during the offseason to supplement their salaries from the U.S. league.

The 6'9" center, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, is one of the league's best players. She's a seven-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and she helped lead the Mercury to a championship in 2014.