Brittney Griner expresses concern for reporter detained in Russia

WNBA star Brittney Griner held captive in Russia for 10 months in 2022, called on the Biden administration to work for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

File Photo: Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury and will play this season in the WNBA. | Photo Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki

WNBA star Brittney Griner held captive in Russia for 10 months in 2022, called on the Biden administration to work for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Griner and her wife, Cherelle, issued a statement Saturday night via Instagram expressing concern for Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges.

“Our hearts are filled with great concern for Evan Gershkovich and his family since Evan’s detainment in Russia. We must do everything in our power to bring him and all Americans home,” they wrote.

“Every American who is taken is ours to fight for, and every American returned is a win for us all.

“That is why we call on all of our supporters to both celebrate the wins and encourage the administration to continue to use every tool possible to bring Evan and all wrongfully detained Americans home.”

Gershkovich, 31, was taken into custody Thursday, accused of trying to access classified information.

Griner, 32, was arrested in February 2022 at an airport outside Moscow, accused of smuggling drugs into the country when vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. She was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison, then released from a penal colony in Russia in December amid a highly publicized prisoner exchange.

She re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury and will play this season in the WNBA.