Steph Curry, Megan Rapinoe join WNBA stars in powerful message supporting Brittney Griner

Steph Curry and Megan Rapinoe join WNBA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith in calling for continued efforts to bring home Brittney Griner. 

The entire sports world tuned in for a night of the biggest names in the game at the 2022 ESPYS. And with that searing spotlight fixed on athletic icons, several took the stage to bring attention to the plight of Brittney Griner.

Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors champion who hosted the 2022 iteration of the event, joined Los Angeles Sparks power forward Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith to deliver a powerful, heartfelt message about Griner.

When the WNBA was recognized as the Sports Humanitarian League of the Year, Curry took a moment to recognize the WNBA star that wasn’t in attendance, as Griner is still detained in Russia.

Ogwumike listed Griner’s myriad accomplishments, including her WNBA Championship and Olympic gold medals, as well as “a human being whose predicament commands our attention.”

“It’s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home,” Diggins-Smith continued. “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.”

Diggins-Smith, Ogwumike and Curry ended their statements with the mantra Griner’s supporters are using to urge her release: We Are BG.

Megan Rapinoe, Steph Curry join WNBA stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith in Brittney Griner message

After the basketball stars spoke out about Griner, USWNT star Megan Rapinoe followed their message with her own.

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

“Like Sky was saying, every time we see BG”s face; like Nneka was saying, every time we say her name; every time it’s on social media; every time we say it in interviews…it puts pressure on everybody. It puts pressure on the administration, it puts pressure on Russia, it puts pressure on Putin, it puts pressure on everyone. It lets BG know that, above everything, we love her and that we miss her and that we’re thinking about her all the time and we’re doing every single thing we can to get her out.”