“Would’ve been a different story if it was LeBron James” Former Olympic medalist highlighted American Gender-Bias by citing Brittney Griner’s misery


“Would’ve been a different story if it was LeBron James” Former Olympic medalist highlighted American Gender-Bias by citing Brittney Griner’s misery

Brittney Griner, Becky Hammon

The coach of the Las Vegas Aces Becky Hammon is begging with the Kremlin to do the right thing and free WNBA star Brittney Griner.  The six-time WNBA All-Star, who primarily played for Russian clubs during the offseason, made her comments two days before Griner’s sentencing. Hammon is joining the avalanche of WNBA and NBA players who are speaking out in support of the imprisoned Phoenix Mercury star. Given the tight structure of the women’s basketball world, Griner’s sentencing affected Hammon, who earned a bronze medal with the Russian National Women’s Basketball Team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

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One of the greatest players in the history of the Women’s National Basketball Association is Becky Hammon. She presently serves as the WNBA team’s head coach, the Las Vegas Aces. Prior to this, she served as the San Antonio Spurs’ assistant coach, making history as the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. Griner made an appearance in court last week for the closing arguments in a case in which she pleaded guilty last month to cannabis possession following the discovery of narcotic oils in her bag at a Moscow airport in February. 

Brittney Griner’s predicament in Russia

Russian authorities have been holding Brittney Griner since February 17, when they detained her at Sheremetyevo International Airport on the grounds that they believed she was in possession of marijuana oil-infused vape cartridges, which are illegal there. Griner, like many other female basketball players, plays abroad during the WNBA summer to boost her income and maintain her skill level. The Russian Women’s Basketball Premier League team Griner was representing at the time of her arrest was UMMC Ekaterinburg. While adding that she had a prescription from her doctor and had packed hurriedly, Griner said she had no clue how the cannabis oil ended up in her suitcase.

Since 2013, 6 feet 9-inch-tall centre Brittney Griner has been a member of the Phoenix Mercury after being chosen in the first round by the team from Baylor University. The 31-year-old is regarded as one of the WNBA’s finest defensive players and was chosen in 2021 as one of the top 25 players in league history (WNBA). In 2012, she won the Player of the Year Award and a national collegiate title. Since starting her professional career in 2013 with the US women’s national basketball team, she has also won two Olympic gold medals and a WNBA Championship.

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Also Read: “Don’t mean to disrespect America” Brittney Griner was brutally criticized for her stance on national anthem

Becky Hammon brings up Lebron James as a part of the situation

In an interview with Reuters’ Simon Lewis, Becky Hammon questioned if James, the NBA star, would have had a better reaction if faced with this kind of a situation. The former assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs believes it won’t be tough to understand the circumstance. Hammon, who is all too familiar with the dynamics of playing in Russia, foresaw potential consequences once Griner was found guilty. She said: “It’s hard to imagine, though, that if this was, you know, LeBron James, that he’d still be sitting over there in jail and it’s hard not to let your mind go there.”

Days before Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Brittney Griner was detained on her way to join her Russian team during the American off-season. This arrest brought relations between Moscow and Washington to their lowest point in decades and put Griner in the middle of a global political conflict. One may contend that, in light of the present sanctions, Russia is acting selfish by keeping Griner in prison. However, the fact that they have the ability to do so remains, and we can only hope that the negotiators will be able to quickly return her.

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