By: Vivian She
In Uncasville, Connecticut, Brittney Griner’s somber Phoenix Mercury teammates lost to the Connecticut Suns by a score of 77-64. But no one cared all that much about the score.
“We’ll wake up tomorrow, and B.G. will still be in a Russian jail. It’s day 169 or something tomorrow, and the clock continues, and we just want her to come home,” said Phoenix Mercury Coach Vanessa Nygaard.
Griner, who plays center for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained in Russia on February 17. Customs officials say that a cannabis derivative was found in her luggage at an airport near Moscow, where she was traveling to play for the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg. Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony and fined 1 million rubles (approximately $16,000). The White House recently made a “substantial” proposal for a prisoner swap with Russia that would bring Griner back to the U.S.
The news was heartbreaking for her teammates. “And we’re still supposed to play this game,” Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith said after the game. “Nobody even wanted to play today. How are we even supposed to approach the game and approach the court with a clear mind when the whole group is crying before the game?”
On Thursday night, the arena was filled with support for Griner. Mercury players and Connecticut coaching staff put on “We are BG” shirts during pre-game warmups, and Griner’s purple and orange No. 42 Mercury jersey were displayed by Mercury and Sun fans alike.
“It just hurts — I love her as a player, and it’s just a sad situation. She doesn’t need to be there. When she comes home, she doesn’t need to go back. I think none of our players should go over there,” said Sharon White, a Sun fan who was wearing Mercury colors in support of Griner.
Many W.N.B.A. players sign with international teams during the offseason to maintain their income. Among those players is Sun forward Jonquel Jones, who has played with Griner on UMMC Yekaterinburg for several years.
“My experiences over there have been so good,” Jones said. “Our team was top notch. They treated us like the professionals we are. We loved going over there because of that. So, we just always felt safe. We never felt like anything would ever happen. So, to see it happen to one of my teammates and be so close to it and understand that it could’ve been me, it puts it into perspective.”
Many of the W.N.B.A. players, including Jones, felt that preparing for the game on Thursday was especially difficult.
“It was like, ‘Dang, we did that, and now I got to go play basketball; my friend is still locked up overseas.’ So, you just kind of go out there and do the best that you can do and not take the moment for granted, knowing that this is where she would want to be,” Jones said.
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