Brittney Griner was found guilty of drugs possession and smuggling in a Russian court outside Moscow on Thursday.
Her sentence will also be read in court Thursday. Russian prosecutors had asked for a 9½-year sentence, while Griner's lawyers were seeking the most lenient punishment possible, if any.
The judge handed down the verdict stemming from the American basketball star's arrest Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport after she was found to have vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage. In its ruling, the court said that Griner committed the crime "deliberately."
The verdict had largely been considered a formality by experts, and the true length of her detainment will be determined by negotiations on a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.