PHOENIX, AZ – JANUARY 21: Assistant coach Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 21, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Spurs defeated the Suns 117-89. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Just about everyone in the WNBA is speaking up and advocating for imprisoned Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner – and Becky Hammon is no exception.
In a recent interview with Reuters, the Las Vegas Aces head coach called on the Russian government to “do the right thing.” She asked for “leniency” and “grace” in hopes that Griner can be brought back to the United States.
“It’s something that obviously hits super close to home for me and so I just ask the Russian government to do the right thing,” Hammon said. “It’s never too late to do the right thing. We’re asking for leniency. We’re asking for grace. And we’re asking to bring home BG.”
Hammon also suggested that a prison sentence for Griner might have “bad implications” for the rest of the international sports world. She believes there are ways to put pressure on Russia before they face even more ostracization.
“If (Griner) were to have to serve a (prison) sentence, I think there would have to be bad implications internationally on the sports world,” Hammon said. “There’s certain ways to put pressure on Russia. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
Russia is already facing massive global pressure due to their ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions against them have trickled into the sports world too, as they’ve been barred from many major sports organizations including FIFA and Formula One.
One can argue that Russia is being petty by imprisoning Griner amid these current sanctions. But the fact remains that they have the power to do so.
We can only hope the diplomats can get her out quickly.
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