CHICAGO — Brittney Griner’s fellow WNBA players honored her during the league’s All-Star Game in Chicago on Sunday, wearing jerseys bearing her name and number for the second half.
Griner, who had played for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013, has been detained in Russia on drug charges since February. On Sunday, with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, seated courtside, the All-Stars lined up after halftime in matching No. 42 jerseys with “Griner” on the back.
Several players hugged Cherelle Griner, who told ESPN she was grateful she hadn’t forgotten his wife.
A’ja Wilson, a Las Vegas Aces forward who was one of the team’s captains, said wearing the jerseys was “a statement in itself.”
“We’re not going to stop until everyone realizes how serious this is,” she said.
Griner, a seven-time All-Star who won a championship with the Mercury in 2014 and has two Olympic gold medals, was also named the league’s honorary game starter.
Griner was in Russia playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg, a professional team, when she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. Last week, she pleaded guilty to drug charges, but she has not been formally convicted. She faces up to 10 years in a penal colony.
The US State Department said Griner had been “wrongfully detained” and it would work to secure her release.
On Sunday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told a news conference that Griner’s situation has affected players’ decisions about international play. Several players who usually play in Russia have signed with teams from other countries for the upcoming offseason.
“We’re not going to say you can’t go play overseas,” Engelbert said.
WNBA players are free to play overseas, but can be fined for showing up late for training camp or early in the season – a common occurrence due to the international schedule. Starting next year, players can be kicked out of league competition if they don’t return for the start of the WNBA season.
The league and teams also offer incentives to encourage players to stay in the United States, such as marketing offers and bonuses. Engelbert said the league plans to spend $1.5 million on player marketing deals this cycle, an increase of several hundred thousand dollars from the last cycle.