Steph Curry took the microphone on Tuesday night during the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Championship ring ceremony to wish WNBA star Brittney Griner a happy birthday and demand her release from Russian detention.
In February, Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport when officials claimed to have uncovered vape cartridges carrying hashish oil.
After pleading guilty to accusations of drug smuggling in August, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian jail.
At the time, legal experts told Insider that Griner’s guilty plea was a calculated ploy to expedite the process of her homecoming.
Before Golden State’s season-opening 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry stated, “We want to continue to use our platform and the chance to recognize a very unique member of the basketball community.”
“Today is Brittney Griner’s birthday; she is 32 years old. We wish to continue spreading her name, and we pray.
“She has been wrongfully detained in Russia for 243 days. We hope she returns soon and that everyone is doing their part to bring her home.”
—ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1)
19 October 2022
Cherelle, Griner’s wife, told CBS’s Gayle King earlier this month that she is “terrified” that she may never see her husband again.
A Russian court is scheduled to hear Brittney Griner’s appeal of her sentence later this month, but the White House has stated that it will be “another sham legal proceeding.”
“My wife seems to be in a hostage scenario,” Cherelle told King.
“It frightened me because when you see movies, these scenarios don’t always end nicely,” she continued. Sometimes the individual is never recovered.