LeBron James is furious at how the US is handling Brittney Griner’s situation in Russia
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LeBron James had some passionate words for Brittney Griner, who has been stuck in a Russian jail cell for nearly five months.
“Well, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?'” LeBron said during a recent taping of HBO’s The Shop.
Photo by Mike Mattina/Getty
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James’ quotes have been edited in the trailer and the full episode of the show won’t be out until July 15th. But his comments are scathing, according to Sports Illustrated.
Biden and his administration have come under fire for months for not doing enough to bring Griner home. Just last week, Vanessa Nygaard, Griner’s Phoenix Mercury coach, suggested that if she were LeBron James, Griner would be home now.
It’s worth noting that LeBron’s comments were made before Biden and VP Harris spoke to Griner’s wife, Cherelle, TMZ pointed out.
In fact, several other efforts are underway, the most notable of which is that former New Mexico governor Bill Richards is traveling to Moscow in the coming days or weeks to speak with Russian rulers and possibly table a prisoner swap lay .
Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
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This isn’t the first time LeBron has spoken out about Griner. He took to Twitter last month along with a group of NBA players to call for their release. “As a distinguished Olympian and a member of an elite global sports community, BG’s incarceration must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans who travel internationally,” LeBron said on behalf of his company Uninterrupted. “It is imperative that the US government address this human rights issue immediately and do whatever is necessary to bring Brittney home.”
Griner, who was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 for having a cannabis oil vape pen in her luggage, pleaded guilty to the charges last week.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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