Brittney Griner has returned to the US with many critics speaking against the exchange that led to her release from Russia. The WNBA star was stuck in Russia for ten months and spent a little over a month in a penal colony while serving her nine-year sentence. Fortunately, Griner was finally released after the US agreed to free Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange. Amid the chatters of criticism, NBA veteran Charles Barkley and WNBA legend Kelsey Plum reflected upon the united support that the Phoenix Mercury star received.

Many critics have condemned the Biden Administration for making the prisoner swap deal that led to the release of Griner. However, the two-time Olympic gold medalist has received constant love from her supporters during her horrific experience in Russia. Many sports stars in the WNBA and NBA spoke up about Brittney Griner‘s detention.? The league’s stars made significant efforts to remind the country about the atrocities the WNBA star faced on foreign soil.?

Meanwhile, the WNBA made constant efforts to support Brittney, including the #WeAreBG campaign in partnership with Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner. Many of BG’s colleagues also used their social media platforms to keep the nation from forgetting Griner’s pain. Recently, Charles Barkley and Kelsey Plum praised the efforts of Griner’s supporters on?‘The Steam Room’?podcast.

NBA & WNBA’s support was crucial for Brittney Griner

During the podcast, Ernie Johnson questioned how Kelsey Plum felt when she heard the news about Griner’s release on December 8. The 2022 WNBA champ shared that she could not believe the news at first. The situation for BG did not look too hopeful. Plum stated that she was extremely grateful and excited to have the eight-time All-Star home.?

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Charles Barkley praised Plum and her fellow WNBA stars who kept reminding the people about Griner. He pointed out that modern society is constantly chasing new stories and people often move on to the next big thing after a few weeks of attention. Moreover, Barkley asked how important it was for Plum and the WNBA to keep bringing attention to Griner’s detention.?

In addition, Charles Barkley said,?“I think the NBA, we did a small part. I know Steph Curry’s did some really cool things.”

Barkley indicated that the NBA and its stars like Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving made valuable contributions by supporting Brittney Griner.

Meanwhile, Kelsey Plum agreed with Barkley that people do forget, move on, and get busy with their lives. Therefore, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist reckoned that it was ‘crucial’ to keep bringing attention to Griner’s troubles in Russia.

Plum reckons WNBA’s collective effort was key for Griner’s release

Kelsey Plum revealed that the WNBA stars decided to do everything they could to keep Griner at the forefront. She further shared that every basketball court they played on had Griner’s number 42 on it. Moreover, the warm-up jerseys that the WNBA stars wear during practice also had Griner’s number on them.?

As Team USA, Plum and her teammates kept speaking up about Griner in the media during their victorious run at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in Australia. Kelsey Plum believed that the WNBA’s efforts for Griner’s cause were effective due to their collective efforts as a unit.

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The WNBA and its players have played an important role to bring Brittney Griner home from Russia.