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Shortly before the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving took some time to address Nets fans.
Irving started off the address by thanking the fans for their support in the team’s quest for a championship. However, Irving quickly transitioned to a more serious subject. He urged U.S. President Joe Biden to bring eight-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner back home from Russia:
"I appreciate us being able to share this floor together, all of us as brothers. But the big picture that’s going on in the world is free our sister, Brittney Griner.
“Please — POTUS, do your job. Everybody do your job. Please bring our sister home. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs to the best of our ability if we didn’t stand for what we believe in."
Brittney Griner has been incarcerated in Russia since February. She was caught with vape canisters containing cannabis oil inside her luggage at a Russian airport. Given her recent conviction, it is unlikely she will be able to return to the U.S. anytime soon.
However, the Biden administration has reportedly considered a prisoner swap that would free Griner and another American detained in Russia. At this point, direct action from the President would be Griner’s best chance of getting freed. That's why Kyrie Irving made the plea to Joe Biden directly.
Irving is one of many public figures that have spoken out in favor of bringing Britney Griner home. It has also become a movement under the "#WeAreBG" hashtag on social media. However, there is only so much celebrities can do. So, it will be interesting to see if Joe Biden ends up responding to Kyrie Irving’s appeal for help.
Brittney Griner's case details
In terms of the exact details of Brittney Griner’s case, she was sentenced to nine years in prison in August for drug possession and smuggling. She currently has an appeal scheduled for Oct. 25. But there is very little hope that Griner will win her appeal.
As a foreigner who broke the law, the Russian courts are unlikely to be lenient. Not to mention, there have been reports that Russia plans to use her as a political bargaining chip.
Last week, Brittney Griner's lawyer, Alexander Boykov, told the New York Times that Griner is growing skeptical that the U.S. can bring her home:
"She is not yet absolutely convinced that America will be able to take her home. She is very worried about what the price of that will be, and she is afraid that she will have to serve the whole sentence here in Russia," Boykov said.
Kyrie Irving's history of social justice advocacy
This isn't the first time Kyrie Irving has stood up for social justice, especially ones involving the WNBA.
In 2020, some WNBA players decided to sit out the league’s restart over concerns about the coronavirus and social justice issues. So, Irving helped them by pledging $1.5 million through his KAI Empowerment Initiative to cover their lost salaries.
Likewise, Irving decided to sit out the NBA restart over concerns over the vaccine. The decision reportedly cost him millions, which has led Irving to call himself a martyr.
In 2016, Kyrie Irving supported the Standing Rock Sioux tribe by publicly opposing the development of the Dakota Access Pipeline below the tribe’s reservation. Irving said that the pipeline could disrupt the tribe’s burial grounds and impact their water quality. Irving later made a donation of $110k to that cause as well.
In 2014, Eric Garner was choked to death on the sidewalk by members of the NYPD while repeating the phrase “I can't breathe” 11 times. The phrase later became a social justice movement that Irving was heavily involved with. Irving was one of the many players to wear a shirt with the “I Can’t Breathe” phrase on it. He said:
"This is bigger than all of us. We have to take a stand together and it’s truly important that we do. What happened is a tragedy and I feel terrible about it."
Love or hate Kyrie Irving, there’s no denying that he’s a man of principle who stands up for what he believes in.
Guess the Lakers players!
