Brittney Griner is finally living with freedom after being released from Russia on December 8. The White House agreed to a one-for-one prisoner swap deal in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. However, retired US marine Paul Whelan, who has been stuck in Russia for nearly four years, was left behind. Whelan was a part of the initial deal offered by the US. But, the Kremlin refused to release Whelan in the particular prisoner swap. As a result, the Biden Administration’s decision that led to the release of BG has resulted in criticism, as Whelan remains detained in a penal colony. Recently, NBA legend Charles Barkley shared a four-message regarding the controversy around Griner that could leave his fanbase divided.

Brittney Griner was stuck in Russia for over ten months. She was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony under drug possession and smuggling charges. After spending a little over a month in the IK-2 penal facility, Griner was released as a part of the prisoner swap deal.

Meanwhile, Paul Whelan suffered a disappointing outcome from Griner’s release. Russia refrained from releasing the ex-marine, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a penal colony under espionage charges. Thus, the prolonged detention of Whelan led to opposition from several political factions. Recently, Charles Barkley responded to the critics in a harsh manner.

Barkley responds to the critics of Brittney Griner

In the recent iteration of his podcast ‘The Steam Room’, Charles Barkley welcomed Brittney Griner back home after the atrocities she and her wife Cherelle Griner had been through. The 11-time All-Star reckoned that he could not imagine being ‘unlawfully detained’ for a stupid reason. He pointed out how bad the situation would have been for Griner if she had to cut off her dreadlocks because it kept freezing in extremely cold conditions.

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Further, Barkley suggested that there was controversy about the prisoner swap. He stressed that the nation needed to bring Paul Whelan home, who is stuck in Russia since 2018. Moreover, the NBA veteran sent a message to the people who were trying to make Brittney Griner’s release a political issue.

Suddenly, Barkley took up an aggressive tone and screamed, “Shut the f**k up! Shut the f**k up!”

The TNT sports analyst sent the critics of the prisoner swap deal a strong four-word message. He advised them to stay quiet instead of complaining. Elsewhere, POTUS Joe Biden has assured that the State Department will continue to stay dedicated to the cause of Paul Whelan’s freedom.

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Barkley responded to the critics who were using Whelan’s unfortunate situation to cause unrest. However, his harsh message could possibly leave his massive fanbase divided.