Brittney Griner’s Phoenix Mercury plays first game since Russian sentencing

Soon the scattered cries became a loud chant of “Bring him home!” repeated about a dozen times, breaking into silence. In the stands, fans crossed arms; in center field, the teams did the same.

Then the 42 seconds were up. But the plight of Griner, who has been arrested in Russia since being accused of illegally smuggling cannabis-infused vape cartridges, remained the focus here.

The decision did not surprise legal analysts who have followed the case and know the Russian criminal justice system, but it still unnerved people inside and outside the arena.

It was “a really emotional day for our whole team, but we know we didn’t pin our hopes on the Russian legal system,” Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard told reporters before the game. “We just want her house.”

On the stand, Ellyn Ruthstrom, of Melrose, Mass., said she and her partner, Kara Ammon, spoke of the particular dangers Griner faces in Russia when they heard about Thursday’s decision.

“We were just talking about how horrible it is for a black gay woman” to be imprisoned in Russia, Ruthstrom said. “She is a political hostage.” Ammon and Ruthstrom praised the WNBA for keeping Griner’s plight in the forefront.

As news of the sentence spread, messages of “Free BG” echoed on Twitter and among sports stars.

Erica Wheeler of the Atlanta Dream posted on Twitter: “My heart goes out to BG’s family and her wife! Today hit a man a little different as if he is our sister! I can’t even imagine how her family feels! I pray God is protecting her mentally but most importantly keep fighting BG. … I have to bring you home!”

Lexie Brown, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, posted on Twitter“Anyone who goes back to Russia to play is crazy.” She added, “it’s breaking my heart to see it now.”

The commissioners of the NBA and WNBA shared a joint statement. “Today’s verdict and sentence is unjustified and unfortunate, but not unexpected, and Brittney Griner remains wrongly detained,” said Adam Silver and Cathy Engelbert. “The commitment of the WNBA and the NBA to her safe return has not wavered, and we hope that we are nearing the end of this process to bring BG home to the United States.”

Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the National Women’s Basketball Association, called the decision “unfair. It’s a terrible blow. Any conversation [Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken] and its Russian counterpart must have, we believe they are having them with all deliberate speed. Because it’s time. It’s just time.”

Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow, called Griner’s conviction and sentence “a miscarriage of justice.” She spoke briefly, saying, “Secretary Blinken, President Biden’s national security team and the entire US government remain committed to bringing Ms. Griner home safely to her family and friends.”

Biden called for her immediate release, saying: “Today, US citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongly detaining Brittney. It is unacceptable and I call on Russia to release him immediately so he can be with his wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.”

Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent, called for a deal “to be done quickly” to free him and noted that American Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. He and Griner have been mentioned as part of a prisoner exchange.

“Today’s sentencing of Brittney Griner was severe by Russian legal standards and proves what we’ve known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political hostage,” Colas said. “We appreciate and continue to support the efforts of [Biden and Blinken] to quickly strike a deal to bring Brittney, Paul and all the Americans home. Bringing Brittney and Paul home is the only objective and as such, we must use all means at our disposal. We must stay focused and united. This is a time for compassion and a shared understanding that reaching a deal to bring Americans home will be difficult, but it is urgent and the right thing to do.”

“BG is an American. BG is an Olympian. BG is an ALL-STAR. BG is a girl, a woman, a friend. posted on Twitter Cari Champion, former ESPN host. “BG is an American. BG is in a cage. BG is ours. Bring it home.”

The Reverend Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network, called Griner a “political fluff” and continued to seek permission to take a delegation of clergy to visit Griner to assess her health.

“Sentencing Brittney Griner to nine years in prison is a moral affront and a legal atrocity in any court of law in the world. In most countries, including the United States, what she pleaded guilty to and was charged with would not even have merited a misdemeanor. It’s a shame and a dark day when global athletics is subject to politics rather than due process,” Sharpton said.

“Let’s not forget that Brittney Griner not only entertained and won the hearts of many Americans, but for seven years she entertained and won the hearts of many Russians while playing basketball there. That’s why her basketball coach and her teammates came and testified for her. She and Paul Whelan are clearly pawns in a global political chess game that has nothing to do with them. They should be released immediately.”

At first, negotiations for Griner’s release took place quietly, but the passage of time brought more public calls for her release. Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has been increasingly outspoken in calling for Biden to take action, and the State Department reclassified Griner as “wrongfully arrested” in May.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist and perennial star with the Mercury, Griner had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason and called Yekaterinburg her “second home” on Thursday. Touched by her relationship with her teammates and the growing popularity of the sport among young women, she explained through tears, “That’s why I kept coming back.”

Now, the focus turns to negotiations for Griner’s release, which are complicated by a frosty relationship between the United States and Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. Last week, Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and urged him to agree to a deal involving Griner and Whelan.

Whelan, who was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020, has said he was framed. The United States has not indicated whether it will offer Russian Viktor Bout, an arms trafficker who was arrested in a US operation in Thailand in 2008, in exchange for his release.