Prosecutors had asked that she be sentenced to 9.5 years in jail.

Prior to the verdict, Griner apologized to the court and asked for leniency in an emotional speech.

"I never meant to hurt anybody, I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population, I never meant to break any laws here," Griner said.

I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime," she added.

After the sentence, Griner told a CNN producer as she left court, "I love my family."

The verdict comes about six months after the 31-year-old was arrested at a Moscow airport and accused by Russian prosecutors of trying to smuggle less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage.

It's unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates," Biden said in a statement.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the Russian legal system more broadly, saying the sentence "puts a spotlight on our significant concerns with Russia's legal system and the Russian government's use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda, using individuals as political pawns."

He said the US is working to bring home Griner and Paul Whelan, an American citizen who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018.

"We're still open to having our proposal seriously and positively considered, and if on the Russian side that means they feel like they're more empowered to do that, then so be it," Kirby told reporters in Thursday's White House briefing.

Kirby reiterated the US position remains that it wants Russia to "take the deal on the table because it's a good one, it's a fair one, and it'll help bring Paul and Brittney home."

CNN National Security Analyst Steve Hall said the harsh sentence was not a surprise and argued that Russia's court proceedings are not legitimate.

"This is all performance in Russia.

We are BG," the statement reads.

Head coach Vanessa Nygaard told CNN the guilty verdict and Griner's sentence is "unacceptable."

"It's just heartbreaking," the coach said.

Just trying to send love, prayers and strength to her."

In a joint statement, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver criticized the verdict and sentence as "unjustified and unfortunate, but not unexpected."

"The WNBA and NBA's commitment to her safe return has not wavered and it is our hope that we are near the end of this process of finally bringing BG home to the United States," they said.

Defense asked for leniency in closing arguments

The court hearing Thursday began shortly after Griner arrived in handcuffs, escorted by Russian officers into the defendant's cage.

Once uncuffed, she spoke with her legal team and then held up a photo of the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team, the Russian squad she played for during the WNBA offseason.

In closing arguments, Blagovolina argued that Griner never used marijuana in Russia and that she never had the intention of doing so.

She couldn't have known how strict the laws were in Russia, Blagovolina said.

Boykov also argued Griner had no opportunity to properly examine the court documents.

He said that the Russian constitution guarantees everyone the right to use their native language and the free choice of the language of communication.

Boykov cited an instance when a language interpreter provided to Griner flipped through a lengthy document offered by an investigator for translation and then told Griner, "Basically, it means that you are guilty."

Throughout the trial, Griner's attorneys have laid out arguments undermining the prosecution's case and claiming her detention was not handled correctly after she was stopped February 17 by personnel at the Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Her detention, search and arrest were "improper," Boykov said last week, noting more details would be revealed during closing arguments.