Carmelo Anthony Calls for Brittney Griner to Come Home
Former Syracuse basketball star Carmelo Anthony released a video on Thursday offering support to Brittney Griner and calling for her return to the United States.
"Hi I'm Carmelo Anthony," Anthony said in a video posted on his Twitter page. "I want to take this time to bring up our friend Brittney Griner. One hundred five Days. It's been 105 days since Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia. She is a WNBA player, an Olympian, a teammate, a sister, a daughter, a wife. She is a human and she needs to come home."
Brittney Griner was taken into custody in Russian after the Russian Federal Customs Service claimed it found hashish oil in vape cartridges in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport. On May 13th, Griner's lawyer told the Associated Press that she was denied home detention and her detainment was extended by a month. That news came 10 days after the United States official declared her as "wrongfully detained." That designation is important because it signals that the U.S. will seek to negotiate for her return instead of allowing her legal case to play out in Russia, according to the Sporting News.
The WNBA, her WNBA squad the Phoenix Mercury, USA Basketball, the NBA and various high profile athletes have publicly stated their support while also calling for her return. Carmelo Anthony has added his voice to that list.
The Boston Celtics' players, while practicing Saturday in preparation for game two of the NBA Finals, wore "We Are BG" shirts as a sign of their support.
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