Brittney Griner celebrated her 32nd birthday in a prison on October 18. The Phoenix Mercury center prepared for her October 25 appeal hearing with her lawyers, who brought her birthday cards and letters. The attorneys also showed Griner her wife Cherelle’s recent picture from her meeting with POTUS Joe Biden. The same day, Cherelle, the WNBA, and her family launched a social media campaign called #WeAreBG to remind Brittney Griner that she had not been forgotten. The NBA world also came in support of Griner during the opening night of the 2022-23 season on October 18.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Griner is currently awaiting an appeal hearing scheduled for October 25. She has been stuck in Moscow jail for about eight months after being arrested at the airport. The airport authorities found vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil in her luggage and detained her in February.
The fate of Brittney Griner looks bleak
The Russian court found Griner guilty of drug possession and smuggling charges, sentencing her to nine years in prison. Many experts believe that the sentence is unlikely to be overturned during the hearing. However, BG’s sentence could be slightly reduced by the court.
Recently, sources close to Brittney Griner revealed some disturbing news about her fate. The WNBA star believes that the Russian government will not respond to the prison swap offer in order to give POTUS Joe Biden an undue advantage in the midterm elections on November 8.
The Joe Biden Administration offered a Russian prisoner in the US in exchange for Griner and US Marine Paul Whelan. However, the Russian government has not provided a legal response yet.
NBA World came in support of Griner
Stephen Curry talked about Brittney Griner during the NBA opening night. The Golden State Warriors guard showed his for the cause for Griner’s freedom during his ring celebration ceremony. Curry said, “We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”
"Brittney Griner's birthday is today. … We want to continue to let her name be known." @StephenCurry30 took a moment to show support to Griner at the Warriors ring ceremony. pic.twitter.com/TV6LsvZiD2
— ESPN (@espn) October 19, 2022
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving also spoke out about Brittney Griner’s release ahead of the team’s first game of the season. The seven-time All-Star said, “The big picture that is going on in his world is to free our sister Brittney Griner.”?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
A special message from @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/21b6nX7L2a
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 19, 2022
The whole basketball fraternity is praying for Brittney Griner’s safe return. BG’s fate currently relies on the appeal hearing on Tuesday. Thus, if the order gets finalized after the hearing, Griner might be forced to work in labor camps in Russian penal colonies where she will serve her sentence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: ??Millionaire Brittney Griner?s Net Worth Compared With Fellow WNBA Legends Sue Bird and Sabrina Ionescu
However, BG’s lawyer Marina Blagovolina reckoned that it would be three to four weeks before Griner gets transferred if the appeals court upholds the verdict.