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Putin grants Russian citizenship to US basketball player Jamierra Faulkner

The 25-year-old point guard used to play for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association

Jamierra Faulkner AP Photo/John Bazemore

Jamierra Faulkner

© AP Photo/John Bazemore

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to 73 foreign nationals, including to professional US female basketball player Jamierra Faulkner.

The presidential decree, which was published on Friday, stated in particular that the Russian citizenship was granted to "Jamierra Faulkner, born March 9, 1992 in the United States."

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The 25-year-old point guard played on the varsity team of the University of Southern Mississippi from 2010 to 2014, and was then selected to play for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

According to various reports on social networks, Faulkner was allegedly moving to play for Russia’s top women basketball club UMMC, which is based in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. The basketball club is the champion of Russia as well as the winner of the European Super Cup and Russia Cup.

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