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WNBA star Brittney Griner will be able to appeal her nine-year Russian prison sentence during a hearing set for October 25, per the Associated Press.
Griner has been detained in Russia since February 17, when authorities found cannabis oil in her bag at a Moscow airport.
The Phoenix Mercury guard plead guilty to drug charges after admitting she "inadvertently" brought cannabis into the country and was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison, which falls just below the 10-year maximum.
After the trial, Griner's lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, called the sentence "absolutely unreasonable" and shared the legal team's plans to appeal.
The appeal date comes nearly two months after her lawyers officially filed in August.
According to AP, the Moscow region court will hear Griner's appeal.
Once her hearing kicks off on Oct. 25, the appeals process will take several months, Alexander Boykov of Griner's legal team told People.
"It's not very fast," Boykov said.
Last month, Cherelle, Griner's wife, met with President Joe Biden to discuss the administration's efforts to free the WNBA star.
"The President held the meetings to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul [Whelan] home safely," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in July that the administration had made a "substantial proposal" to Russia to bring home Griner and jailed American Paul Whelan, who is serving 16 years on espionage charges.
According to ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's lawyers are open to dropping the appeal if it helps facilitate a deal to secure her release.
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