Brittney Griner’s detention is still a hot topic around the basketball world. In February, the WNBA star was detained at a Russian airport for possessing hashish oil. She traveled to the Euro-Asian country to join UMMC Ekaterinburg, but what appeared to be a good experience for her ended up in a terrible situation.
She’s going through a trial now, trying to clear her name and be free after what people considered as wrongful detention. Everybody has raised their voice against this, but the Russian justice hasn’t changed its mind about this and will continue with the trial.
Meanwhile, Brittney has tried to communicate with her family and the people who love her, writing letters where she explains how hard this situation is for her. It seems like those around her are tired of waiting and have used different methods to get their voices heard.
Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard had some things to get off her chest on Monday night, aiming at LeBron James and the US government for not doing more to fix this situation. Nygaard said things would have been very different if LeBron had been in that situation.
Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard says Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia would be resolved "if it was LeBron." pic.twitter.com/ANZvCRyG5E
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 6, 2022
“If it was Lebron, he’d be home, right?” Nygaard said. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person.”
“All of those things. We know it, and so that’s what hurts a little more.”
It’s clear that those who know and appreciate Griner want to see her free and doing what she loves the most, but things have been really tough for her since that detention. Everybody’s hoping that this situation gets better, including LeBron James, who has lobbied for Griner to get released.
The trial started on July 1, and nobody knows what is going to happen with Brittney. We just hope that things don’t get any worse for her and that she can return home safely.
