Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max When WNBA star BRITTNEY GRINER was initially detained by Russian authorities over alleged possession of hash cartridges in February, the circle of people closest to her decided the best strategy to get her back was to keep the situation as quiet as possible. Those in Griner’s inner circle and U.S. officials hoped that by not quickly elevating the case, she could avoid becoming a political pawn in the deteriorating U.S.-Russia relationship as VLADIMIR PUTIN prepared to invade Ukraine. So they first turned to NBA officials, not political bigwigs, to help. One of those officials was TRAVIS MURPHY. As the NBA’s director of international government affairs, Murphy has overseen the league’s handling of complex, high-level immigration issues, which have grown in number as the sport has become increasingly international. Among other responsibilities, he has helped square away visas and green cards for some of the biggest names in the NBA and WNBA. ( The Washington Post reported that he got Senegalese big man TACKO FALL a green card and Houston Rockets center BOBAN MARJANOVIC a work visa to appear in a fight scene in the blockbuster action movie John Wick: Chapter 3). But since Griner’s detention, his role has grown. Over the past several months, Murphy has served as a liaison between the NBA/WNBA, Griner's camp, the State Department, and professional basketball contacts in Russia, which has a number of professional basketball teams on which NBA and WNBA players have played in recent years. Murphy is a familiar figure to people in the world of sports diplomacy. He cut his teeth as a diplomat in the Obama State Department. He was based at American embassies in Africa and South America, and eventually served as the top policy official for the department's Sports Envoy Program, which recruits and manages athletes and coaches who participate in U.S. sports programs abroad. But hostage detention is an entirely different bag. And ultimately, the quiet diplomacy and efforts to keep the Griner matter out of the spotlight didn’t work. Griner’s detention attracted the attention of top Russian government officials, and she became an additional bargaining chip in a potential prisoner exchange that would likely involve former U.S. Marine PAUL WHELAN and convicted Russian arms dealer VIKTOR BOUT. Murphy declined to comment for this piece. But multiple people with direct knowledge of the early negotiations confirmed his behind-the-scenes role. In a statement, principal deputy State Department spokesperson VEDANT PATEL noted that the administration is in constant contact with Griner’s camp, including her legal team, and officials from the NBA and WNBA. “We are closely engaged on these cases with a number of parties – in Ms. Griner’s case, her legal team, the WNBA, NBA, and others,” he said. “As we’ve said previously there was a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate the release of Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan. Our governments continue to communicate directly on that proposal.” With NBA star DENNIS RODMAN deciding this week that he will, in fact, not visit Russia on Griner’s behalf ( a welcome move to U.S. officials who discouraged the eccentric former Chicago Bulls star from doing so), Murphy is one of the few people outside of the State Department and National Security Council with visibility into the ongoing negotiations. The primary official responsible for managing Griner’s case is the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs ROGER CARSTENS, one of the few Trump-appointed high ranking officials whom the Biden administration decided to keep on. On Griner’s side, much of the action has run through the WNBA superstar’s representative, the well-known power agent LINDSAY KAGAWA COLAS. She’s worked closely with Griner’s wife CHERELLE GRINER and KAREN FINNEY, the high-profile Democratic strategist who has been advising the team. PROGRAMMING NOTE: West Wing Playbook will be taking a week-long break starting Monday, Aug. 29. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Try not to miss us too much. MESSAGE US — Are you MEGAN COYNE, the White House deputy director of platforms ( and long time professional political shitposter )? We want to hear from you! And we'll keep you anonymous. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
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