LeBron James detailed his disappointment with the NBA’s punishment of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver on Wednesday, writing “our league definitely got this wrong” in a series of social media posts.
Sarver was banned from the NBA for one year and fined $10 million after the league released its findings on Tuesday from a 10-month independent investigation into allegations of workplace abuse during Sarver’s tenure as managing partner of the Suns that has spanned nearly two decades.
Earlier Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver conducted a news conference in New York following the league’s board of governors meeting and addressed concerns he has fielded from the player base — which is nearly 75% Black.
behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don’t matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2022
Among the litany of allegations first reported by ESPN.com last November and corroborated by the investigation conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Sarver was found to have, on least five occasions, repeated the N-word when recounting the statements of others.
“I’ve talked to some players,” Silver said Wednesday. “Those have been private conversations. I’ll leave it for the players to speak directly how they feel.”
Silver continued to describe his conversations with players as “disheartening” because, he said, “I think, for those players to see that we continue to deal with these issues.”
Later Wednesday, Tamika Tremaglio, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, issued a statement, saying that “Sarver’s reported actions and conduct are horrible and have no place in our sport or any workplace for that matter.”
Tremaglio added that she has “made my position known to Adam Silver regarding my thoughts on the extent of the punishment, and strongly believe that Mr. Sarver should never hold a managerial position within our league again.”
James’ statement echoes his stance from 2014 when the league was investigating alleged racist misconduct from then Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
“There’s no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA — there is no room for him,” James said prior to a Miami Heat playoff game against the Charlotte Bobcats. ” … They have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don’t know what it will be, but we can’t have that in our league.”
James has spent the last half of his NBA career, which is entering its 20th season this fall, as a public advocate for social change.
Silver said from a personal standpoint he was in “disbelief” when informed of Sarver’s transgressions, but that many of the players and coaches in the league that he spoke to found the situation all too familiar.
“Look, I think it’s no secret this is a league where roughly 80 percent of our players are Black. More than half our coaches are Black,” Silver said. “I will say that none of them maybe are as shocked as I am, living their lives, that I don’t think they’re reading this saying, oh, my God, I can’t believe this happens.”
KHIMKI, Russia — A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial in Russia on Friday gave the court a U.S. doctor’s letter recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and standout for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transporting drugs.
In court last week, Griner pleaded guilty and acknowledged possessing the canisters but said she had no criminal intent and said they were in her luggage because she packed hastily in her return to Russia to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team during the WNBA’s offseason.
In Russia’s judicial system, admitting guilt doesn’t automatically end a trial. Since that plea, her court sessions have focused on in-person and written testimony to her good character and athletic prowess.
“The attending physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medical cannabis,” said her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina. “The permission was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health.”
The defense on Friday also submitted tests she underwent as part of an anti-doping check, which didn’t detect any prohibited substances in her system.
The next hearing of Griner’s case was scheduled for July 26.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said they are doing all they could to win her release, as well as that of other Americans the U.S. considers “wrongly detained” by Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving 16 years on an espionage conviction.
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock sent a letter to Blinken on Friday seeking answers on several questions regarding Griner’s situation.
“What option are you considering in ongoing negotiations?” Warnock asked. “Are you able to ensure Brittney does not remain custody during the trial? Do you have an indication of what the Russian government would accept in return for her release?
“I recognize the complexity of the current situation, but Brittney Griner cannot become a victim of geopolitical events and autocratic war. I urge you to pursue swift negotiations to secure her immediate release.”
Washington may have little leverage with Moscow, though, because of strong animosity over its military operation in Ukraine.
“In the hearings yesterday and today what became very clear is the tremendous amount of respect and admiration both in the United States and here in Russia where Miss Griner has been playing basketball for seven years, not only for her professional achievements but for her character and integrity,” U.S. Embassy charge d’affaires Elizabeth Rood said outside the courthouse in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where the airport is located.
The director and team captain of UMMC Ekaterinburg testified on her behalf on Thursday.
Russian media have speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy in the seriousness of their cases could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. Others have suggested that Griner could be traded along with Whelan, who is serving 16 years in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has described as a setup.
The State Department’s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator. The classification has irritated Russia.
Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, has noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”
Ryabkov warned that U.S. criticism, including the description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”
Griner’s detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the trial could last months. Griner’s lawyers, however, said they expect it to conclude around the beginning of August.
MOSCOW (AP) — American basketball star Brittney Griner went on trial Friday, 4 1/2 months after her arrest on charges of possessing cannabis oil while returning to play for a Russian team, in a case that unfolded amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington.
The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after police said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.
Griner, 31, was escorted into the courtroom in the Moscow suburb of Khimki while handcuffed and wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt. At a closed-door preliminary hearing Monday, her detention was extended for another six months, to Dec. 20.
Two witnesses were questioned by the prosecution: an airport customs official, who spoke in open court, and an unidentified witness in a closed session. according to the state news agency RIA-Novosti. The trial was then adjourned, it said, when two other witnesses did not show up, and the next session was set for July 7..
Alexander Boykov, an attorney for Griner, told reporters outside court that “I wouldn’t want to talk on the specifics of the case and on the charges and to comment on our position on it because it’s too early for it.”
Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in U.S. courts, acquittals can be overturned.
Her case comes at an extraordinarily low point in Moscow-Washington relations. Griner was arrested less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already high tensions between the two countries. The U.S. then imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow, and Russia denounced the U.S. for sending weapons to Ukraine.
Elizabeth Rood, U.S. charge d’affaires in Moscow, was in court and said she spoke with Griner, who “is doing as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances.”
“The Russian Federation has wrongfully detained Brittney Griner,” Rood said. “The practice of wrongful detention is unacceptable wherever it occurs and is a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working, and living abroad.”
She said the U.S. government, from its highest levels, “is working hard to bring Brittney and all wrongfully detained U.S. nationals home safely.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied politics played a role in Griner’s detention and prosecution.
“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated,” he added.
Griner’s supporters had kept a low profile in hopes of a quiet resolution until May, when the State Department reclassified her as wrongfully detained and shifted oversight of her case to its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the U.S. government’s chief negotiator.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has urged President Joe Biden to secure her release, calling her “a political pawn.”
“It was good to see her in some of those images, but it’s tough. Every time’s a reminder that their teammate, their friend, is wrongfully imprisoned in another country,” Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said Monday.
The coach hoped that Biden would “take the steps to ensure she comes home.”
Griner’s supporters have encouraged a prisoner swap like the one in April that brought home Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for a Russian pilot convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy.
Russian news media have repeatedly raised speculation that she could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s case — which involves alleged possession of vape cartridges containing cannabis oil — and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to the U.S.
Others have suggested that she could be traded in tandem with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that the United States has repeatedly described as a setup.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when asked Sunday on CNN whether a joint swap of Griner and Whelan for Bout was being considered, sidestepped the question.
“As a general proposition … I have got no higher priority than making sure that Americans who are being illegally detained in one way or another around the world come home,” he said. But he said he could not comment “in any detail on what we’re doing, except to say this is an absolute priority.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that he is working “side by side” with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to try to bring Brittney Griner home.
Silver, speaking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews in a televised interview from Chicago prior to the NBA draft lottery, said his league was following the advice of experts when it did not take an aggressive approach during the early stages of Griner’s detention in Russia.
“We’ve been in touch with the White House, the State Department, hostage negotiators, every level of government and also through the private sector as well,” Silver said. “Our No. 1 priority is her health and safety and making sure that she gets out of Russia.”
The State Department also said Tuesday that it still is pushing to have regular contact with the Phoenix Mercury star.
A consular official was able to meet with Griner last week, when her pretrial detention in Russia was extended for one month. Griner has been detained — wrongfully, U.S. officials have said — since February, after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage at an airport in Moscow.
“That consular official came away with the impression that Brittney Griner is doing as well as might be expected under conditions that can only be described as exceedingly difficult,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Washington. “But sporadic contact is not satisfactory. It also may not be consistent with the Vienna Convention to which Russia has subscribed.”
The 31-year-old Griner — a two-time Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. — faces drug smuggling charges that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The Biden administration says Griner is being wrongfully detained. The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked toward her release, without visible progress.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked with Griner’s wife in recent days, Price said.
“He conveyed once again the priority we attach to seeking the release of all Americans around the world, including Brittney Griner in the case of Russia, Paul Whelan in the case of Russia, those Americans who we consider to be wrongfully detained,” Price said. “That has been a priority of Secretary Blinken since the earliest days of his tenure.”
Whelan is a corporate security executive from Michigan who has been held in Russia. He was arrested in December 2018 while visiting for a friend’s wedding and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage-related charges that his family says are bogus.
MOSCOW — The lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner said Friday her pretrial detention in Russia has been extended by one month.
Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boikov, told The Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Biden administration says Griner, 31, is being wrongfully detained. The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked toward her release, without visible progress.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department said Tuesday.
“The U.S. government will continue to undertake efforts to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner,” the department said.
Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Since then, U.S. officials had stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained and said instead that their focus was on ensuring that she had access in jail to American consular affairs officials.
Now, though, U.S. officials have shifted supervision of her case to a State Department section — the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs — that is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries. A consular officer did visit in March.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” said Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
The president of the WNBA players’ union, Nneka Ogwumike, noted in a separate statement that “it has been 75 days that our friend, teammate, sister, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia.”
“It is time for her to come home,” Ogwumike added. “Having learned that the U.S. government has now determined that BG is being wrongfully detained we are hopeful that their efforts will be significant, swift and successful.”
It was unclear what prompted the shift in approach to Griner’s case, though President Joe Biden’s administration had been under pressure from members of Congress and others to make her release a priority.
The U.S. last week secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of a prisoner swap that also resulted in a convicted Russian drug trafficker being freed from prison in the U.S.
Besides Griner, another American regarded as unjustly detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan who was arrested in December 2018 while visiting for a friend’s wedding and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage-related charges his family says are bogus.
ESPN first reported the classification in Griner’s case.
Meanwhile, the WNBA announced Tuesday that it would honor Griner with a floor decal and allow the Mercury to pay her without it counting against the team’s cap. The decal will feature Griner’s initials, BG, as well as her No. 42.
All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night. The Mercury open their season at home that night against the Las Vegas Aces.
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Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, two U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Since then, U.S. officials had stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained and said instead that their focus was on ensuring that she had access in jail to American consular affairs officials.
Now, though, U.S. officials have shifted supervision of her case to a State Department section — the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs — that is focused on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” said Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
The president of the WNBA players’ union, Nneka Ogwumike, noted in a separate statement that “it has been 75 days that our friend, teammate, sister, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia.”
“It is time for her to come home,” Ogwumike added. “Having learned that the U.S. government has now determined that BG is being wrongfully detained we are hopeful that their efforts will be significant, swift and successful.”
It was unclear what prompted the shift in approach to Griner’s case, though President Joe Biden’s administration had been under pressure from members of Congress and others to make her release a priority.
The U.S. last week secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of a prisoner swap that also resulted in a convicted Russian drug trafficker being freed from prison in the U.S.
Besides Griner, another American regarded as unjustly detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan who was arrested in December 2018 while visiting for a friend’s wedding and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage-related charges his family says are bogus.
ESPN first reported the classification in Griner’s case. Two U.S. officials confirmed it on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it by name.
Meanwhile, the WNBA announced Tuesday that it would honor Griner with a floor decal and allow the Mercury to pay her without it counting against the team’s cap. The decal will feature Griner’s initials, BG, as well as her No. 42.
All 12 teams will have the decal on their home courts starting with the season opener Friday night. The Mercury open their season at home that night against the Las Vegas Aces.
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Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.
Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
The 2022 WNBA draft will be judged a lot on how much the Indiana Fever did to improve after dominating the first round with four picks. The Fever had seven selections overall, and the players who get a roster spot will have the opportunity to be change-makers for a franchise that hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2016.
With so many picks Monday, it’s no surprise the Fever lead ESPN’s WNBA draft grades. Indiana threw one curveball to most prognosticators in taking Stanford Cardinal guard Lexie Hull in the first round. But the Fever want players who are going to come in hungry to make a difference, and Hull has that kind of on-court personality.
While it was a busy night for some teams, the Chicago Sky were just a draft observer as the defending WNBA champions had no picks. The Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury had four selections between them, three of those in the third round, so those picks might not make much of a difference.
How did teams such as the Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces, who made trades to obtain certain draft-day targets, fair Monday? Did the Washington Mystics make the right move in dealing the No. 1 pick?
Here are our 2022 WNBA draft grades, dissecting all of that.
General manager Lin Dunn said she wanted energetic, young players who could bring defense, and she appears to have gotten it. Hull was a surprise as the third of the Fever’s four first-round picks, but Dunn clearly believes in her motor. Hull led the Cardinals in steals (78) this season. Smith and Egbo have been teammates at Baylor for four seasons, so they bring chemistry. The always-moving Engstler is a defensive force and plays like she was made to compete for Dunn.
Even after a superb Final Four performance, Henderson went in the second round. But if she can make the roster, Henderson also plays the kind of defense the Fever are looking for. It will be hard for Williams-Holliday to nab a roster spot, but her selection is a boost to HBCUs everywhere.
The Dream are under new management and a new coaching staff, and they knew who they wanted in Howard and were willing to trade up to get her. It should energize Howard to know how much the Dream believed in her to do that. It’s a big legacy to carry to be the No. 1 selection, and Howard has the ability to fill that role. New Dream coach Tanisha Wright was very respected for her leadership and defense as a WNBA player, and she should be a great mentor for Howard.
As terrific a player as Hillmon was in college, her selection in the second round confirms WNBA teams have concerns about her size and shooting range. What they can’t fully measure is her heart and maturity — and both are off the charts. Those qualities should help her get a roster spot and prove she can keep adding to her game.
Picks: 3. Shakira Austin, Ole Miss, C; 14. Christyn Williams, UConn, SG
The trade worked out for the Mystics: Dealing the No. 1 pick still got them an elite post player in Austin, for whom the sky is the limit if she steadily progresses as a pro. And Washington also got an additional pick to select Williams, who has the UConn pedigree going for her.
Much has always been made of Williams’ ups and downs in college, but the track record of former Huskies in the league is beyond impressive. On Washington, she can thrive without much pressure.
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The Washington Mystics use the third pick in the WNBA draft to select Ole Miss’ Shakira Austin.
The Sparks are coming off the disappointment of not making the playoffs last year. But they made big offseason moves by obtaining Liz Cambage and Chennedy Carter, and potentially filled some needs with the draft. Burrell has good size and skills at the wing, and Smith and Nelson-Ododa both have Final Four experience.
Atwell, the Big West Player of the Year, is worth giving a look in camp. They might not all make the roster, but the Sparks made the most of their draft spots.
The Liberty needed size and strength inside, and they got that. Sabally, if she can stay healthy, is a versatile addition New York’s guards can take advantage of as another target.
Cubaj was the anchor of Georgia Tech’s defense-first success. Kone went later than many expected, but she’s just 19 and could be a player for the Liberty’s future.
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The Atlanta Dream select Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard with the first pick in the 2022 WNBA draft.
Clouden is a strong scorer, and Lewis a very good distributor. It’s always a numbers game with the roster, but getting more young depth at guard is a positive for the Sun. Smith is a pick for the future, as she suffered a season-ending knee injury during the SEC tournament in March.
Picks: 7. Veronica Burton, Northwestern, PG; 30. Jasmine Dickey, Delaware, SG; 31. Jazz Bond, North Florida, PF
Considering all the Wings’ draft picks of the past couple of years, they don’t have much space on the roster. But they get a good grade from Burton’s selection alone. The three-time Big Ten defensive player of the year adds a perimeter toughness on that end of the court that the Wings need.
Dickey and Bond are the types of players you really wish had more of chance to catch on, but the roster numbers crunch hurts.
Cunane is likely the best 3-point shooter of the centers in the draft. Although she fell to the second round, she has a lot of potential to find her way in the WNBA if she can make the Storm roster.
Some thought Westbrook might go a little higher with her 6-foot size and ability to be a combo guard. She is a player who always plays hard, and that could make a difference. Melbourne is 19 and likely more a pick for the future.
This grade could turn out to be way off, but it comes down to this: The Aces made a deal Sunday with Minnesota to get the Nos. 8 and 13 picks; did they make the most of those selections? If Hollingshed proves to be as good as the Aces think she is, then yes. If not, then the grade might be pretty accurate.
Bell’s size on the perimeter should be a good pickup. Hollingshed, Pointer, Sheppard and Aifuwa were all fifth-year seniors, so they bring maturity, although it’s unlikely all will stick.
Picks: 22. Kayla Jones, NC State, SF; 28. Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota, C
By trading the Nos. 8 and 13 picks to the Aces for 2023 picks, the Lynx made it clear this draft wasn’t going to be a big factor for them. That makes sense, considering their limited cap space. Jones and Sjerven are both hard-working players who had great college seasons, with NC State reaching the Elite Eight and South Dakota the Sweet 16. Both are worth a look in camp, but it will be tough for either to make the roster.
The Mercury are in a similar situation as the Lynx, not expecting a lot from this draft. Both of Phoenix’s selections were in the third round. With Brittney Griner indefinitely detained in Russia, it figured the Mercury would go for bigs with their picks, and both Dodson and Williams had really good seasons. Again, roster spots will be at a premium, but both at least could fit a need.
Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
A U.S. congressman who played football at Baylor is among those concerned about the welfare of Brittney Griner, who is being held in Russia on drug charges.
Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) spoke Wednesday about Griner, who played for Baylor’s women’s basketball team from 2009 to 2013 and has been with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for nine seasons.
Allred said Griner, who also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg, was detained in Russia on Feb. 17.
“My office has been in touch with the State Department, and we’re working with them to see what is the best way forward,” said Allred, who a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I know the administration is working hard to try and get access to her and try to be helpful here. But obviously, it’s also happening in the context of really strained relations. I do think that it’s really unusual that we’ve not been granted access to her from our embassy and our consular services.
“The Russian criminal justice system is very different than ours, very opaque. We don’t have a lot of insight into where she is in that process right now. But she’s been held for three weeks now, and that’s extremely concerning.”
Allred referenced two other cases of Americans in recent years who have been imprisoned in Russia. Trevor Reed was arrested in 2019 after Russian authorities say he resisted arrest and attacked officers. Paul Whelan was arrested in 2018 on espionage charges. Both men are former Marines and have disputed the charges against them. Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison and Whelan 16.
“So this is not the first time in recent years that an American has been detained and then held either without reason or without a sufficient kind of explanation,” Allred said. “What’s obviously different here is that Brittney is an extremely high-profile athlete, and it’s happening during the course of a Russian-begun war in Ukraine, in which we are deeply opposed to what they’re doing.
“This would normally be run through our embassy or consular services in the country. It’s also true that we’re drawing down some of our embassy personnel in Moscow and the State Department has asked all Americans in Russian to leave. But I don’t think that’s going to impact the ability for them to advocate on her behalf.”
Allred played football at Baylor from 2001 to 2005 and was in the NFL for four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Griner led Baylor to the 2012 NCAA championship and was the top pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. She has won gold medals with the United States in two Olympics and two FIBA World Cups.
“Of course for me, there is a Baylor connection,” Allred said. “And also being on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and having recently visited Ukraine and being intimately involved with our response to the Russian aggression there. But also the fact that Brittney is a high-profile LGBTQ advocate and icon in many ways.
“I’m sure her lawyer in Russia is working through the process. But every day for anyone being held, particularly being held overseas, is a lifetime. I recognize that for her friends and family, this must be incredibly difficult time. And for her, I’m sure the uncertainty about what’s happening is probably just terrible. And so, hopefully, whatever happens, we can get this moving quickly and get her out.”
Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
CHICAGO — By the fourth quarter of Friday’s Game 3 in the WNBA Finals, a lot of the electric energy had dissipated at a sold-out Wintrust Arena.
Not because the hometown Chicago Sky were struggling. To the contrary, they are now just one victory away from the first WNBA title in franchise history. It’s just that the Sky so thoroughly dominated the Phoenix Mercury in an 86-50 victory that the Chicago fans could relax for much of the second half.
Both teams gave a lot of time to their reserves, and it was just a matter of running out the clock to get to the final 36-point margin, which is the largest in WNBA Finals history.
“I don’t focus on what we won by, it’s just how we played,” Chicago coach James Wade said. “We know we have to stay focused. I want them to feel good about tonight’s win, but after tonight we have to really hone in on the next game. We have to take care of business.”
The Sky, which came into the league as an expansion team in 2006, will host the Mercury in Game 4 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN. They lead the best-of-five series 2-1, and a victory will make Chicago the 10th WNBA franchise to win a championship as the league celebrates its 25th season this year.
Phoenix has three titles but the fourth seems far away after just about everything went wrong for the Mercury on Friday. Their 25.8 shooting percentage from the field was an WNBA Finals low.
“We can’t be any worse than 50,” Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi said of the Mercury’s season low in points, which is also the second-lowest total in a WNBA Finals game. “We’ll be better than 50. You can take that to Vegas.”
Chicago’s Candace Parker has been in this situation before. In 2016 and 2017, when she was with Los Angeles, the Sparks faced a WNBA Finals Game 4 at home with a chance to clinch a championship. They lost both. In 2016, they won the title anyway in Game 5 on the road at Minnesota. In 2017, though, they lost the championship to the Lynx.
The last thing the Sky want now is to go back to Phoenix.
“This is right where we want to be, to have an opportunity,” said Parker, who returned to her hometown of Chicago this season as a free agent. “But they’re a great team. The biggest thing is not getting head of ourselves. It’s crucial for us to have the same mentality that we had coming into this game.”
Every Sky player scored on Friday, led by Kahleah Copper with 22 points. Courtney Vandersloot had 10 assists, and passed Seattle’s Sue Bird for most WNBA playoff games with double-digit assists (10). Vandersloot also now has a WNBA postseason-record 87 assists this year.
The Sky could have been rattled after losing Game 2 in overtime in Phoenix on Wednesday. Instead they dominated Friday almost from the tip, tying the Finals record for largest lead at halftime (22). The last time a team had that big a lead at the break in a WNBA Finals game, these same two franchises were involved — Game 1 of the 2014 Finals, when Phoenix had the big margin. The Mercury went on to win that game and swept the series for their third championship.
Taurasi and Brittney Griner were on that Mercury team, and if they’re to force a Game 5 this year, both will need to help fix what was wrong with the Mercury’s offense Friday. Griner was the only Phoenix player who scored in double figures, but she was just 7 of 17 for 16 points. Guards Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith combined shot 3 of 19 from the field.
“Today, honestly, nothing worked,” Taurasi said. “Inside, outside, they really took us out of everything we wanted to run.” Diggins-Smith said, “It was ugly as hell. Give them all the credit, and let’s play on Sunday. We didn’t lose the series tonight. We’ve got an opportunity to get it out of the mud. We’ve got to bring it. This is what you want.”