Stephen Curry took a moment during the ESPYs Wednesday night to call for the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February.
Curry, who hosted the sports awards show, was joined by WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith in calling attention to Griner’s situation. The Phoenix Mercury center was detained at a Moscow airport after Russian police said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage.
“BG is a WNBA champion,” Ogwumike said to the audience. “She’s an eight-time WNBA All Star. A national champion in college, an Olympic gold medalist. An athlete who has fans all over the world. A human being whose predicament commands our attention.”
“It’s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,” Diggins-Smith said. “All throughout that time, we’ve kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain’t nearly enough to bring her home, y’all.”
“They’re a lot of people working hard right now to secure Brittney’s release, but as we hope for the best, we urge the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on her behalf,” Curry said.
“We cannot stop fighting for her. We cannot stop believing for her, and we will not stop hoping for the day when we can welcome her home safely,” Curry added.
The three athletes ended their remarks by saying together, “We are BG.”
Griner’s wife Cherelle was present at the ESPYs and applauded the calls to push for Griner’s release.
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe also spoke about Griner in her acceptance speech after winning the award for Best Play.
“I think honestly what we’ve witnessed tonight is the importance of sport and how much we can bring and how much we can get done in the world with our collective power,” Rapinoe said.
“Every time we say her name, it puts pressure on everyone — puts pressure on the administration, puts pressure on Russia. The most striking thing is that BG isn’t here. BG deserves to be free,” the soccer player added.
The comments bringing attention to Griner at the ESPYs come after the WNBA star pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in a Russian court earlier this month, which could result in a sentence of up to 10 years.
Vice President Harris told CBS’s Robert Costa in an interview just after Griner pleaded guilty that the Biden administration is making it a top priority to bring Griner home.
The administration has received criticism for what some have denounced as a lack of action to achieve Griner’s release and minimal effort to reach out to her family.