SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: Charles Barkley attends the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
The sports world was overwhelmingly thrilled when WNBA star Brittney Griner was released on Thursday morning.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley recognizes the magnitude and joy of this moment, but also called it “bittersweet.”
During an appearance on CNN, Barkley addressed the fact that other Americans — including Paul Whelan — are still locked up abroad. He also expressed concerns about the release of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
“It’s a great day for the NBA, the WNBA, Brittney and her family. But it’s also a bittersweet day,” he said. “Mr. Whelan is still over there — and we got a scumbag arms dealer that might go out and kill other people.
“On one hand I’m really, really happy for our NBA and WNBA family. But man, you’ve got to feel for Mr. Whelan.”
Griner was sent home in a one-for-one prisoner swap with Bout. The Biden Administration reportedly pushed for Whelan to be included in the trade, but the Russians refused.
Whelan, an American businessman and former Marine, has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 under suspicion of espionage.
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