LeBron James Clarifies Recent Brittney Griner Comments: 'I Was Simply Saying How She's Probably Feeling'

LeBron James, Brittney Griner
LeBron James, Brittney Griner
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Kevin C. Cox/Getty; Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty

LeBron James took to social media to clarify his most recent comments about Brittney Griner's ongoing detainment in Russia on an upcoming episode of Uninterrupted's The Shop.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar, 37, posted to Twitter Tuesday that his comments within the episode — in which he wondered aloud "how can [Griner] feel like America has her back?" right now — were not "knocking our beautiful country."

The clarification comes in apparent response to criticism to a trailer for the episode, in which James also says, "I would be feeling like, 'do I even want to go back to America?' "

In his tweet, James explained that "I was simply saying how she's probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she's been in for over 100+ days!"

"Long story short #BringHerHome," he added.

RELATED: WNBA Stars Turn Focus to Brittney Griner During League's All-Star Weekend: 'It's Hard for All of Us'

A 35-second long trailer for The Shop's upcoming episode, shared exclusively with PEOPLE Tuesday, teases James' conversation with co-host Maverick Carter, the show's creator Paul Rivera, and the episode's guests, actor Daniel Kaluuya and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. The episode touches on Griner's detainment, Black art and more from a New York-based barber shop.

For more on LeBron James, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

James has been a vocal supporter of Griner since her arrest. The WNBA star faces up to 10 years in prison in Russia after pleading guilty to smuggling drugs into the country, saying she did so "unintentionally." Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was originally detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow in February after vape cartridges containing hash oil were found in her luggage.

In June, James shared a message on Twitter "demanding" President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris actively work on Griner's safe return.

"As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, BG's detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally," the Los Angeles Lakers star wrote on behalf of his company, Uninterrupted. "It is imperative that the U.S. Government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home."

RELATED: Brittney Griner's Wife Calls for Her Release Alongside WNBA and Al Sharpton: She's 'an American Hero'

Griner, who plays for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, was put front-and-center last weekend during the league's All-Star Weekend events. The WNBA named Griner an honorary All-Star and displayed her name and number, 42, on the court at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. All of the athletes who played in Sunday's All-Star game wore Griner's jersey for the second half of the exhibition.

"We talk about 'We Are BG' and what that means to us," said Griner's Phoenix Mercury teammate, Skylar Diggins-Smith. "Just trying to embody her spirit, carry her legacy on and just stay alert for her as far as what we can do in our efforts to help bring her home and really get that message out there."

The latest episode of The Shop airs Friday, July 15 at 9 a.m. PT/ 12 p.m. ET exclusively on the Uninterrupted YouTube channel.