The Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving began the latest NBA season with a passionate plea to President Biden to bring home Brittney Griner. In August, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug smuggling and possession after customs officials said they found hashish oil cartridges in her luggage. Tuesday (October 18) marked her thirty-second birthday.
Next week, Griner has a court date set to appeal the decision. On Wednesday, Irving stood alongside and asked Biden to help secure her release:
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“I appreciate us being able to share this floor together, all of us as brothers. But the big picture that’s going on in the world is free our sister, Brittney Griner, please. Please, POTUS, do your job. Everybody do your job. Please bring our sister home. And we wouldn’t be doing our jobs to the best of our ability if we didn’t stand on what we believe in.”
He quickly thanked the audience for coming out to the game, which led those in attendance to chant Irving’s name. His remarks come on the heels of Steph Curry’s commentary Tuesday night. On Griner’s birthday, the Golden State Warriors star urgently addressed the matter:
“Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32. We want to continue to let her name be known, and we pray. It’s been 243 days since she was wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”
Griner’s wife, Cherelle, recently confessed that she is terrified Brittney will be transferred out of Moscow to work in a Russian camp if the attempt at an appeal should fail.
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