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NBA star LeBron James has joined the chorus of athletes calling for WNBA and Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner’s return home.
“We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely!!” James posted on Twitter Sunday. “Our voice as athletes is stronger together.”
Griner has been detained since Feb. 17 after vaping cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage while going through an airport outside of Moscow.
Griner could land in prison for 10 years on drug smuggling charges.
More:Brittney Griner’s wife calls for more ‘urgency’ from Joe Biden, U.S. in WNBA star’s case
LeBron James: ‘Return Brittney home’
In the post, James shared a message “demanding” President Joe Biden and Vice President Kalama Harris bring Griner home “swiftly and safely” by taking action today.
“As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, BG’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally,” the post said. “It is imperative that the U.S. Government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home.”
“Join us in demanding that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris bring Brittney home swiftly and safely by taking action today.”
The post included three ways people could help Griner.
The first was to learn about her case at wwww.wearebg.org, the second was to sign a change.org petition to help bring Griner home and the third was to share photos encouraging Biden and Harris to take action.
Boston Celtics players wore ‘We are BG’ shirts
James is just one of many NBA players to call for Griner’s release in recent days.
Several Boston Celtics players donned “We are BG” shirts ahead of their NBA Finals practice on Saturday.
The back of the shirt featured a QR code to the change.org petition calling for Griner’s return, the same code that James shared in his Twitter post.
The petition was approaching 250,000 signatures as of Monday morning.
“As a collective, we wanted to come out and show our support for Brittney Griner,” said the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown. “She’s been over there for an extended amount of time, and we feel like enough is enough.”
The Celtics’ Grant Williams added: “We just wanted to show that togetherness and love that we have throughout not only the NBA, the WNBA. She’s been a vital part of the WNBA for years past, college and in the amount of impact she’s had on young female athletes.”
Added the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum: “It’s extremely tough seeing what she’s going through. I know everybody sees and feels that, and obviously we’re all together in support trying to bring her back to her family and things like that. Yeah, wearing those shirts today in support of her.”
More:Brittney Griner receiving, answering loved ones, WNBA players’ emails
Adam Silver: ‘It’s been now over a hundred days’
Before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed Griner’s status.
“I didn’t want to not mention Brittney Griner while I’m here. It’s been now over a hundred days since she’s been illegally held in Russia,” Silver said Thursday.
“I think it’s something that all of us should be heard on, contacting your representatives and others. I will only say we are working in lockstep with the U.S. government and outside experts on trying to expedite her release in any way we can. Certainly, our hearts go out to her and her family, and just are eager for her safe return. And so I join my colleagues in the WNBA in making reference to her as well.”
USA TODAY Sports’ Cydney Henderson and The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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