LeBron James Questions If Brittney Griner Should Want To Come Back To The Country After Biden Admin Has Left Her In A Russian Prison

NBA superstar LeBron James wonders how wrongfully detained WNBA player Brittney Griner feels about coming home to the United States, when the Biden admin hasn’t “had her back.”

Griner is facing up to a ten-year prison sentence in Russia for allegedly attempting to smuggle marijuana vape cartridges through a Moscow airport in February. The government declared her “wrongfully detained,” but has thus far failed to secure her release.

In a trailer for an upcoming episode of his show, “The Shop,” James wondered if Griner would even want to come home after being detained in the foreign nation for nearly five months.

“How can she feel like America has her back?” the fellow pro-baller remarked. “I would be feeling like ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’”

The two-time Olympian pleaded guilty to the charges Thursday, but told a judge that she “didn’t want to break the law,” and committed the crime without “intent.” 

It has been suggested that admitting guilt is a strategy to expedite a prisoner exchange, as it has been widely speculated that she would never have been acquitted of the drug and smuggling charges. However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented that Griner’s admission “will have no impact on any of the negotiations” for her release. 

The WNBA All-Star wrote a letter to President Biden on the Fourth of July, that detailed how she was “terrified” she might be detained in Russia indefinitely.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” Griner wrote. “Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with the basketball star’s wife, Cherelle, last week, to “reassure” her of the government’s continued efforts to release her spouse, after she publicly criticized the administration for “not doing anything.”

Marie Finn