Brittney Griner’s release prompts celebration, criticism on social media
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was sentenced to prison in Russia, has been released in a prisoner swap President Joe Biden announced. The news prompted celebration and criticism on social media.
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was sentenced to prison in Russia, has been released in a prisoner swap, President Joe Biden announced. The news prompted celebration and criticism on social media Thursday morning.
Members of the basketball community and other athletes, celebrities, and politicians took to Twitter, Instagram, and other channels to express their relief Griner would be home in time for the holidays.
Still, they noted, her nine-year prison sentence — in one of the harshest types of Russian penal colonies for women — was considered unjust for marijuana cartridge drug charges.
In a tweet, Biden shared pictures of himself; Vice President Kamala Harris; and Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, in the Oval Office.
Fellow athletes and members of the basketball community celebrated the news.
WNBA’s wage gap
But Griner’s release also served as a reminder of the inequity female athletes can face compared to their male counterparts. As Griner served her sentence, WNBA union leaders and other activists spoke out about the large gaps in pay between WNBA and NBA players.
As noted by Yahoo Sports, for years, WNBA stars would go play for the Russian pro leagues during the offseason, drawn by lucrative seven-figure salaries that outweigh what the athletes make in the States. But Griner’s detainment has given athletes pause when it comes playing in Russia.
For context: Four-time WNBA all-star Breanna Stewart — a former teammate of Griner’s on a Russian team — walked away from an about $1.5 million Russian salary.
Instead, she announced she would play for a Turkish team, earning a six-figure salary. In America, the WNBA’s supermax salary cap for 2022 was $228,094.
Paul Whelan remains detained
The news of Griner’s freedom has also prompted discussion surrounding unjust prison detainment.
While Griner is coming home, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan remains detained in a Russian prison on espionage charges. CBS reported that Biden’s administration made at least one concession during negotiations by agreeing to make Griner’s return part of a one-for-one swap.
“Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s,” Biden said during a press conference Thursday. “While we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”
Still, Whelan’s family welcomed the news of her release.
On Twitter, supporters of Whelan’s used the hashtag #FreePaulWhelan amid conversation about Griner’s return.
The phrases: Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, and Russia were trending on Twitter Thursday morning in light of the news.
Griner’s release becomes Instagram art
On Instagram, more than 31,000 posts used the hashtag #BrittneyGriner. Some celebrated the news of Griner’s freedom with graphics and illustrations of the basketball player. Notably, in late November, a since-deleted Instagram post from actor Vin Diesel in support of Griner went viral on Instagram. In the wake of the news of Griner’s release, a meme began circulating that Vin Diesel’s post is what sparked Griner’s homecoming.
Clinton, King weigh in
Other politicians, celebrities, athletes and activists have taken to social media to voice support for Griner since the news broke.