NBA players show support, petition to bring Brittney Griner home
FILE – Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner (42) shoots against Chicago Sky’s Azura Stevens (30) during the first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)
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(NewsNation) — The NBA finals kicked off over the weekend with games 1 and 2 between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.
And several NBA players used these games as a platform to voice their support for WNBA player Brittney Griner, who U.S. officials have said has been wrongfully detained for more than three months.
Lebron James is the latest basketball superstar to call for the immediate release of Griner from Russian captivity.
“We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely,” James tweeted Sunday night to his 51.4 million followers.
James joins a chorus of others calling for the quick release of Griner, who — for more than 100 days — has been detained in Moscow for allegedly carrying marijuana vape cartridges through a Russian airport: a crime that could land her 10 years in prison.
“Free BG, man. We’re here, we’re here for her. We stand with her,” Marcus Smart said in a short video posted on the Boston Celtics official Twitter.
On Saturday, several players of the Boston Celtics wore black T-shirts with the words “We are BG” in bold, orange lettering.
“It’s extremely tough seeing what she’s going through,” All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum of the Celtics said. “I know everybody sees and feels that, and obviously we’re all together in support trying to bring her back to her family and things like that. Yeah, wearing those shirts today in support of her.”
On the back of the shirt, a QR code linking to an online petition, calling on the White House to do whatever is necessary to bring Griner back to the states.
“We felt like it was a good idea to use our availability and our platforms to bring attention to certain matters.” Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown said, “I always stand for that. Being an athlete, we’re not just up here just to entertain you guys, we also have a voice.”
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 13, 2022. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) 
FILE – Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner (42) shoots against Chicago Sky’s Azura Stevens (30) during the first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, in Chicago. Brittney Griner has been able to receive emails and letters from WNBA players to an account Griner’s agent set up to allow them to communicate with her. The emails are printed out and delivered sporadically in bunches to Griner by her lawyers after being vetted by Russian officials. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File) 
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 13, 2022. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) 
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 13, 2022. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport in February after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) 
FILE – Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner during the first half of Game 2 of basketball’s WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky, Oct. 13, 2021, in Phoenix. As WNBA star and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner approaches the three-month mark of her detention in Russia, she faces no clear prospect of release. The Phoenix Mercury All-Star center may as early as Friday May 12, 2022, face a Moscow court hearing, which is likely to extend her pre-trial detention (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File) 
FILE – United States’s Brittney Griner (15) flexes her muscle after making a basket during a women’s basketball quarterfinal round game against Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) 
FILE – Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) looks to pass as Chicago Sky center Candace Parker defends during the first half of game 1 of the WNBA basketball Finals , Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Phoenix. Griner was arrested in Russia last month at a Moscow airport after a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges. The Russian Customs Service said Saturday, March 5, 2022, that the cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The customs service identified the person arrested as a female player for the U.S. national team and did not specify the date of her arrest. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File) 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 27: A fan holds a sign for Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for 99 days since February 17, during the fourth quarter between the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty at Climate Pledge Arena on May 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 27: A fan holds a sign for Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for 99 days since February 17, during the third quarter between the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty at Climate Pledge Arena on May 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Last month, the U.S. State Department determined that Griner was being wrongfully detained.
Diplomats have since been assigned to work on her release.
So far, that online petition to the White House is closing in on its goal.
As of Monday morning, just over 249,000 people have signed their name, a little more than 50,000 signatures shy of the 300,000-signature goal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
