"Nobody wanted to even play today": Griner's teammates

STORY: Speaking at a news conference following their 77-64 loss to the Connecticut Sun in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Diggins-Smith and DeShields said they approached the game with a heavy heart.

Prior to the match, members of the two teams observed a 42 second moment of silence for Griner.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star, was arrested in mid-February as she arrived to play for a Russian side during the WNBA offseason.

Her sentencing could now pave the way for a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap that would include the 31-year-old athlete and an imprisoned Russian who was once a prolific arms dealer.