Stephen Curry, Nneka Ogwumike & Skylar Diggins-Smith call attention to Brittney Griner's imprisonment at the ESPYS: 'We cannot stop fighting for her'

Benyam Kidane

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Stephen Curry, Nneka Ogwumike & Skylar Diggins-Smith call attention to Brittney Griner's imprisonment at the ESPYS: 'We cannot stop fighting for her' image

As the sporting world took time to honor athletes for their achievements at the 2022 ESPY Awards, the focus briefly shifted to the imprisonment of Brittney Griner.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time WNBA All-Star, has been detained in Russia since February. She is facing up to 10 years in prison after officials found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

During the ceremony, host Stephen Curry was joined on stage by WNBA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. They called on fans and athletes to use their voices to help bring Griner home. 

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"It's been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained, thousands of miles away from home," Diggins-Smith said. "Away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team.

"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."

Curry, who took the stage wearing Griner's Phoenix Mercury jersey, echoed those sentiments, calling on the sports world to continue showing support.

"There are 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 we can welcome her home safely," Curry added.

Athletes from the NBA and WNBA weren't the only ones to speak out about Griner's situation. Soccer star Megan Rapinoe urged her fellow athletes to speak out and put pressure on the administration to get Griner back home. 

“For me, the most striking thing is that BG’s not here. BG deserves to be free, she’s being held as a political prisoner, obviously,” Rapinoe said. 

“Like what are we doing here dressed up like we are when our sister is detained abroad? We haven’t done enough, none of us. We can do more, we can support her more, and just let her know that we love her so much.”

Tennis legend Billie Jean King also commented on the Griner situation saying, “First, bring BG home. Gotta do that.”

Outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where the ESPYS were being held, mobile billboards were deployed around Hollywood. The digital signs were emblazoned with "Bring Brittney Home."

The billboards feature a photo of Griner along with the message "BG should be here" and a QR code that directs users to a change.org petition in support of her release. 

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.