LeBron James calls for the release of Brittney Griner from Russian prison

NBA superstar LeBron James on Sunday called on the US government to act to free WNBA champion and Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner, who has been being held in a Russian prison for nearly four months on cannabis possession charges.

“We must come together and do whatever we can to get BG home quickly and safely!! Our voice as athletes is stronger together,” James wrote on Twitter over the weekend.

James also shared a message from his Uninterrupted brand urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to lobby for Griner’s release. The post also encouraged readers to learn more about the case online.

“For over 100 days, BG has been subjected to inhumane conditions in a Russian prison and has been denied communication with her family and loved ones,” read a message from Uninterrupted included with the social media post. “As a decorated Olympian and a member of an elite global sports community, BG’s imprisonment must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sports and all Americans who travel internationally. It is imperative that the US government address this human rights issue immediately and do whatever is necessary to bring Brittney home.”

James also posted a link to an online petition hosted by Change.org, which said, “Griner is a beloved citizen of the world who has used her platform to help others since joining the WNBA.” James encouraged that Fans to share and sign the petition, which had garnered more than 250,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

Olympic and WNBA superstar

Griner is a seven-time WNBA All-Star center who has played for Phoenix Mercury since 2013, including the team’s 2014 league championship roster. She has also twice won the Olympic gold medal with the US women’s basketball team.

Griner played pro basketball in Russia for seven seasons during the winter, a common practice among WNBA players. She makes about $1 million a season playing in Russia, about four times the salary she makes playing for the WNBA. On January 29, Griner played her final game with her team UMMC Ekaterinburg before the Russian league went on a two-week hiatus for the FIBA ​​World Cup qualifying tournaments.

Russian Customs Service reported on March 5 that an American basketball player was arrested after cannabis vape cartridges were discovered in her luggage at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow. The date of the arrest was not given and Griner was not named in the report. Customs also released a video that appeared to show Griner with security officers at an airport security checkpoint.

The Russian state news agency TASS then reported that the arrested player was Griner. Although the date of Griner’s arrest has not been released, media reports that she has been in custody since February 17. After news of the arrest made headlines, the WNBA and the players’ union issued messages of support for the star athlete.

“Brittney Griner has the full support of the WNBA, and our top priority is her speedy and safe return to the United States,” the league wrote in a statement after Griner’s arrest was revealed by Russian media.

Griner’s arrest by Russian authorities has prompted an outcry from lawmakers, cannabis advocates, celebrities and other athletes. Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, the athlete’s home state, said on March 9 he was investigating Griner’s arrest.

“My office has been in contact with the State Department and we are working with them to see what the best way forward is,” Allred said, as quoted by ESPN. “I know the administration is working hard to get access to her and try to be helpful here. But of course it also happens in the context of really strained relationships. I think it’s really unusual that our embassy and consular services didn’t give us access to her.”

A month after her arrest, Russian authorities announced that Griner’s detention would be extended by two months. TASS reported on March 17 that Griner is being held in an undisclosed Russian prison pending further investigation into the case. The news agency also said that Ekaterina Kalugina from the human rights group Public Monitoring Commission, a quasi-official body with access to Russian prisons, visited Griner. Kalugina reported that Griner was doing well and being held in decent conditions.

In May, the US State Department reassessed Griner’s status, saying she was “wrongly detained” by the Russian government.

“The State Department has determined that the Russian Federation wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” the State Department wrote in an email to ESPN. “With that determination, the President’s special envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, will lead the interagency team to ensure the release of Brittney Griner.”

Since then, however, the status of Griner’s case has remained unchanged, prompting renewed calls for her release from James on Sunday.