WNBA star Angel McCoughtry reveals she will NOT play basketball in Russia after Griner situation

The situation with Brittney Griner will force many WNBA athletes to change their plans for the league's offseason - with star Angel McCoughtry already saying she won't play in Russia again.

Griner's ten-month detention ended yesterday when she was released from Russia via a prisoner swap. 

Angel McCoughtry - a former no. 1 overall pick in 2009 and a close friend of Griner's - spoke to TMZ and was overjoyed that her friend came back. She also revealed that the situation will result in her staying away from Russia - a country where many WNBA players have played in due to better salaries. 

'Oh my gosh, today is a celebration. Brittney is back, she's on solid ground,' McCoughtry told TMZ. 'Knowing Brittney, she's a big teddy bear. Her personality is so bubbly. I couldn't imagine the conditions she's gone through.'

'I couldn't imagine the conditions she's gone through. I played in Russia for three years, and that was probably one of the hardest places I had to play.'

'It was hard to make friends. People are introverted because of the weather. The sun doesn't come out. So, it's already kind of depressing being there, playing there. 

'But, to be in that kind of environment, I'm so glad she's back. What an amazing feeling to wake up to that.'

McCoughtry added that she had an inclination that a deal for Griner was in the works, but wasn't informed of the details.  

'We knew something was brewing, we just didn't know exactly what & when. But man, it came sooner than expected and I'm just so glad to wake up to that kind of news.'

While any future plans for Griner haven't been nailed down, McCoughtry and others plan to give her space before what they hope is an eventual return. 

'You know, obviously, we want Brittney to play in this summer in the WNBA, but we know right now we just want her mental to be okay and her to take the time with her family that she deserves.'

McCoughtry and Griner were teammates on the 2016 Summer Olympic team that won gold in Rio de Janeiro. They've remained close, though she says she hopes to give Griner time to be with her family before reaching out.

'Imma give her some time first, give her some time to adjust, get acclimated back. Just be with her family, be with her friends. 

'Everybody's gonna be hittin' her [up] now, imma let everything die down for a bit, and then imma get my hugs from Brittney.

'And if she wanna go on vacation, hey let's go. It's on me Brittney.' 

The ordeal Griner went through has changed the way many WNBA players view their relationships with the country of Russia and its impact on their careers.

Russian basketball teams offer lucrative contracts to women's basketball players to join their rosters while the WNBA has its offseason.

One such player who will not return to Russia is Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart. The two-time WNBA winner and four-time NCAA champion with UConn told Yahoo Sports in September that she would not be returning to Russia to play with UMMC Ekaterinburg - where she was a teammate of Griners.

Instead, Stewart opted to play for the women's team of Turkish sporting giants Fenerbache. There, she will earn a salary in the six-digits, much lower than the $1.5million she earned in Russia. However, that salary in Europe still surpasses what she earns in the WNBA - a league which pays a supermax contract of just over $228,000. 

McCoughtry - a free agent in both Europe and the WNBA - says she will be one of the many WNBA stars not going back to Russia as a result of what Griner was put through. 

'I mean, it's tough on us cause Russia was one of the places where we made the most money. I was making my WNBA salary in one month in Russia. My whole salary. I think girls are gonna go elsewhere and play, probably.'

'We still have Spain and Istanbul, Turkey, different places, but, it definitely takes a toll on our game cause Russia, that was a place that had a lot of money for women to play, so it definitely hurts our game.'