Brittney Griner’s Return Is Just the Beginning
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The dark cloud that followed the women's basketball community for 10 months finally lifted on the morning of December 8, as WNBA players, coaches, and supporters heard the news they had been waiting for: Brittney Griner was free.
The WNBA star spent nine months in a Russian prison and one month in a penal colony after being detained at an airport near Moscow—during a visit to the country to play basketball—and charged for drug possession and smuggling of vape cartridges with hashish oil.
After her release, Griner’s former coach Sandy Brondello held back tears while speaking to MSNBC about the news. And Terri Jackson, the executive director of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), told CNN that she “sobbed like I haven’t sobbed in quite a long time, but it was all tears of joy, pure joy” upon Griner’s return.
But while the events of December 8 represented joy and relief for many, Griner’s case has also since served as a reminder of what wrongfully detained Americans—people who remain as hostages all around the world, including in Russia—continue to experience, as well as of the potentially dangerous consequences of the WNBA’s pay disparity.
An opportunity for advocacy
When Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, first stood with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday morning to celebrate the news that the Phoenix Mercury player was officially freed, she confirmed both she and Griner will work to help bring other hostages home.
“BG and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home including Paul [Whelan], whose family is in our hearts today as we celebrate BG being home,” she said. “We understand that there are still people out there who are enduring what I endured the last nine months of missing tremendously their loved ones.”
Whelan is a 52-year-old retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran who, during a visit to Russia in December 2018 to attend a colleague’s wedding, was arrested on espionage charges, which the United States has said are false, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He remains in Russian custody.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Colas, revealed to Abby Phillip on Tuesday that Griner is personally very concerned about Whelan, and that was “one of the first things” she asked about upon being freed.
In a statement, Colas explained the greater purpose of the movement WE ARE BG—bringing together a community of advocates fighting for the common rights of Americans wrongfully detained abroad. “WE ARE BG was conceived to celebrate the ways that BG represents all of us, and express why her fight is all of ours,” she wrote. “WE ARE BG will endure as a coalition to advocate for Americans who need to be returned home.”
In that alliance will be the players of the WNBA, a group that was relentless in amplifying Griner’s plight throughout her time in Russian custody. Chiney Ogwumike, a forward for the L.A. Sparks and an NBA analyst on ESPN, explained why the natural next step for professional women's basketball players will be joining the Griners in advocating for the freedom of wrongful detainees around the world.
“I always say this, the WNBA [players], we are not new to this, we are true to this,” she said on the ESPN show Get Up. “I think this true moment just shows you that we always think bigger than ourselves, because our existence primarily as a league that is predominantly full of Black women and allies, we’ve seen that moments like this even when we’re in our deepest struggle, we try to continue to advocate for others.”
Elizabeth Williams, a center for the Washington Mystics, told CNN’s Don Lemon that WNBA players “are always operating with a sense of urgency” when it comes to advocacy.
She also explained that Griner’s case introduces an opportunity to discuss the greater impact of the pay disparity that WNBA players have grappled with since the inception of the league—an issue that has much to do with why Griner was in Russia in the first place this February. She was there to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, the Russian team she played for during the WNBA offseason since 2014.
Inside the WNBA’s pay disparity
Amid Griner’s ordeal, there are still WNBA places playing abroad this offseason. Just last month, their lives were put at risk when an explosion occurred in Istanbul, one of the most lucrative places in Europe for players to supplement their income.
But what is the league itself trying to do to keep its players safe and prevent precarious situations like these from occurring in the future?
The WNBA is in its second season of what it calls League Marketing Agreements, deals that allow players to make more money Stateside while promoting the message of the WNBA. According to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, 10 players are signed to these off-season agreements, a program that aims to also increase the exposure of the athletes.
“They get to build their brands, and they get to connect with, whether it’s media brands or corporate brands and get endorsements,” Engelbert said during a press conference on Thursday. “And then they can make more money. They’ll stay here. They’ll rest their bodies in the off-season. They’ll still train."
What’s next for Griner?
A lot remains to be seen about what Griner’s next steps will be. As of now, she’s in San Antonio at the Brooke Army Medical Center getting both physical and mental health care to ensure that she’s as ready as she can be to reenter society. “They’ll work that out with the doctors and the family as to how much longer she’ll need to be there. But our initial reports are she’s in very good spirits and in good health,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this past Sunday.
While her intent to reemerge into society as an advocate for Whelan and other Americans who are wrongfully held abroad has been made clear, much isn’t known about her desire to return (or not) to the WNBA, or if she could be ready physically and mentally for the league’s opening weekend in May 2023.
“I expect and hope that BG does whatever brings her joy. Would I love to see her back amongst the 144 so that we are truly complete? Absolutely. But what I want for BG is what is best for BG, and only she can determine that,” Jackson told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
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