WNBA players union president says players worried about Griner amid Russian detainment

The head of the WNBA’s players’ union on Tuesday said in an interview that players are worried about star player Brittney Griner, who remains detained in Russia. 

Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and a player for the Los Angeles Sparks team, told ABC News’s Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” the players were “most concerned” about Griner’s health and safety.

“As you mentioned, you know, it’s tough. BG is us. We are BG. You know, that could have been us,” Ogwumike said. “We’re really most concerned about her health and safety, especially her mental health. We’re hearing that she’s, in that respect, she’s OK, but you know, we want her home.”

Asked if gender played a role in Griner’s situation, the Sparks star answered, “I mean, when is it not?”

“You know, it’s disappointing that the question of, you know, it being a gender issue is top of mind now, when it comes to this type of circumstance, but the reality is is, you know, she’s over there because of a gender issue, pay inequity,” Ogwumike said.

Ogwumike said she had previously played outside the United States in Russia, Poland and China. She noted that players did so for financial and professional reasons, saying “we live politically intrinsically.”

“We go over there to supplement our incomes and quite frankly, we go over there to maintain our game. You know, our teams encouraged us to keep up with our game by going over there and being more competitive. So there’s so much that’s at play that, you know, we live politically intrinsically,” she said. 

Griner, who plays for Russia during the WNBA’s off-season and is a seven-time All-Star selection, was detained in February after her luggage was found to have vape cartridges of cannabis oil in them. 

Her detention has been extended until May 19, and State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in March that Griner was in “good condition.”

Griner’s detention in Russia comes amid an ongoing war in Ukraine as Russia forces regroup to the Donbas region amid failed attempts to capture the Ukrainian capital. 

But her detention also highlights issues of gender inequity as some WNBA players often play abroad during the off season for financial reasons given the drastic difference in salaries between men and women in basketball, The Washington Post noted.