- Griner was detained in February at a Russian airport on drug charges.
- She is on the short list of greatest female basketball players from Texas.
Brittney Griner should have played a home game against the New York Liberty on Thursday.
The Texas high school, Baylor and WNBA hoops legend would have left the arena hand-in-hand with wife Cherrelle afterward and headed home for a late dinner.
But Griner hasn’t been home in quite some time.
BG is living a nightmare. Having just pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia, the 31-year-old Griner has become a political pawn in a dangerous game of chicken between Russia and the United States.
The 0.7 grams of THC discovered in her luggage more than four months ago could land her in prison for five to 10 years, whereas the same offense in America might wind up with a small fine, if even that.
It’s all a complete joke when juxtaposed against the atrocities Vladimir Putin’s army has committed during its invasion of Ukraine, which began with what he called a defensive military exercise.
If anything, Griner was just guilty of some poor judgment by staying in a political hotbed longer than she should have. As if the upcoming sentencing phase weren’t scary enough, it was announced at a Monday hearing that her detention would be extended until Dec. 20.
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That is, unless, President Joe Biden can figure out a way to get her home from the bargaining table. The government has already labeled Griner as being wrongfully detained, which, with two quarters, might get you a can of Diet co*ke in Moscow.
Griner actually hand-wrote a letter to the president last week and gave us a glimpse of the horror she is encountering while locked up so far from home.
“I’m terrified I might be here forever,” she wrote, according to a statement released through family representatives. “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees.
“Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Griner is a legend in her sport, but one can’t help but wonder if a more high-profile male athlete would still be locked up on the other side of the world for a relatively minute amount of drugs. Could you imagine Tom Brady languishing in a Russian prison for more than a couple of days? Would our government sit on its hands if LeBron James or Tiger Woods were pitifully videotaped in handcuffs walking through a Russian courtroom?
Celebrity carries no weight over there, but our government’s inaction has been telling over these last four months. Griner is a wife, a mother, a daughter and a teammate. Her Mercury teammates have included her in all team activities in absentia, conducted rallies in her honor and worn "Free BG" T-shirts all season. The WNBA even gave her an honorary roster spot for the upcoming All-Star Game.
Cherrelle spoke with Biden this week, and we hope — that’s all we have at this point — that some resolution will be reached ASAP, which could mean a prisoner swap, Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and possibly others.
In a word, it’s complicated.
Simpler times for BG
Griner is on the Mount Rushmore of greatest female basketball players to play high school ball in Texas, right there with Brownfield’s Sheryl Swoopes, Duncanville’s Tamika Catchings, Tomball’s Nneka Ogwumike and San Antonio’s Clarissa Davis.
My introduction to Griner came before the 2009 Class 5A girls UIL state basketball tournament. Video clips of a 6-foot-8 female dunking machine from Houston were making the rounds on YouTube and adding to the buildup of the tournament.
When Houston Nimitz qualified for state, I quickly determined to get her on the phone for an interview. Griner wasn’t doing many interviews at the time, but I was able to get through to her father through a family friend.
After interviewing him for 10 or so minutes, I requested to speak with Griner, who was soft-spoken yet personable.
Upon her arrival at the Erwin Center, for Nimitz’s semifinal clash against Pflugerville, it quickly became evident that this wasn’t the average girls state tournament. Never before had the mezzanine sections been open due to ticket demand, but the combination of a future WNBA star going up against a local team made those $12 tickets a hot bargain.
Twenty years after San Antonio Cole center Shaquille O’Neal entered the annals of greatest Texas players to come through Austin, a female Shaq put her own stamp on the proceedings.
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The two had actually spoken earlier that season at a Rockets game, and O’Neal, who was then playing with the Phoenix Suns, told Griner he had checked out her YouTube videos.
BG, who had attended the state tournament two years earlier with her dad as a spectator, put on a show in pregame with a couple of rim-rattling dunks, including a two-handed throwdown off the glass. The oohs and ahs quickly turned to boos when the officials showed up, which in Texas high school basketball circles meant “no more dunks.”
I didn’t think it at the time, but whendid a UIL Texas ref ever get booed for disrupting the dunk line in a girls’ game?
First time for everything.
Griner’s slam-a-thon was merely an appetizer. She shattered the 31-year-old state tournament single-game scoring record with 44 points by making a record 19 of 21 field-goal attempts. She added 18 rebounds in the 74-47 win.
The nearly 9,000 in attendance walked out of the arena that day knowing we had witnessed the arrival of a future great. We had never seen anyone like Griner. Lucky for us, she attended Baylor, where we got to see her blossom into arguably the most physically dominant center in women’s basketball history.
Only 10 other women have won an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal (she has two), a FIBA World Cup title and a WNBA championship.
What happens next?
It’s a poor choice of terms but the ball is literally in Russia’s court. Their court, their rules.
Who knows if an agreement will be reached to get her back where she belongs or if she will spend the rest of her 30s in a dark, dank place.
Griner spent five seasons playing for the UMMC Ekaterinburg organization in Russia, commanding an annualsalary of $1 million. Since WNBA players don’t make huge salaries here at home, they supplement their incomes overseas.
Griner made herself a rich woman in basketball, and her endorsem*nt deals added to an impressive portfolio.
Her days are now spent battling depression while praying for her country to come to her rescue.
The video images of her walking through Russian court are both heartbreaking and infuriating.
Star power isn’t supposed to determine the degree of response, but if feels as if America hasn’t done enough when it comes to the handling of the Brittney Griner case.
We can do better, Mr. Biden.
Bring BG home.
