Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia is 'hard for all of us,' WNBA All-Stars, league commissioner say

• Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia on drug charges for nearly 5 months.
• Her fellow WNBA All-Stars admitted that "it's hard for all of us" to forge on without "our sister."

CHICAGO — Though she wasn't out on the court this year, Brittney Griner was a constant presence throughout WNBA All-Star programming this weekend in Chicago.

With Griner's wife, Cherelle, sitting courtside, all 22 players participating in Sunday's All-Star Game wore Griner's name and number on their jerseys, in an attempt to raise awareness of the superstar's ongoing wrongful detainment in Russia.

A seven-time All-Star herself, Griner was arrested in February and subsequently pleaded guilty to the large-scale transportation of drugs. She now faces up to 10 years in prison overseas.

Griner's loved ones and supporters have continually urged the US government to prioritize her case and bring her home in a prisoner exchange with Russia. And the WNBA's superstars plan to use every tool at their disposal to spread that message to the masses.

"We are the most unified league in the world, and wearing the jerseys was a statement to show that we are BG," 2022 WNBA All-Star captain A'ja Wilson said on Sunday. "Yes, we have the shirts and the pins, but BG is one of us. She's our sister.

"And at the end of the day, we are going to do whatever we can to amplify the platform that we have to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to do to make sure that she gets home safely," the 2020 league MVP added. "It's hard. It's hard for all of us. It's not easy. Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about Brittney Griner."

Wilson was far from the only star on hand in Chicago to express the difficulty of Griner's absence. Los Angeles Sparks superstar Nneka Ogwumike — who, like Griner, hails from Houston — admitted that All-Star weekend was "a little emotional for me."

"I've known BG since — I've been playing against her since I was 16," the 2016 WNBA MVP told Insider. "She's my dad's favorite player, and I just know she's a big teddy bear, you know? For her to be in that situation, it's not easy.

"But we need to continue to remind everyone that she's one of us, she's an American," Ogwumike, who serves as president of the WNBPA, added. "She is one of the 144. She's a hero, and we should see ourselves in her."

During a press conference following the All-Star Game, Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird explained how important it was to the players "that we were able to, on national television [and] in front of a sold-out crowd, put Brittney's name in the forefront."

"Hopefully at some point she sees a picture or something letting her know that she is always on our minds and in our hearts, but it's also a way to have other people see her name," Bird said. "Maybe someone turned on the TV and doesn't know about the story and is like, 'Oh why are they all wearing the same jersey number?' And in those moments it brings awareness and it constantly reminds the Biden Administration that we are supporting them."

"Whatever they need to do to get Brittney home, we're behind them," the league's all-time assists leader added.

Even WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert acknowledged that the league is "fully focused on getting her home safely and as soon as possible." She added that the player jerseys with Griner's name, a court decal with the Phoenix Mercury star's initials and number, and the decision to name Griner "an honorary starter" for the All-Star Game were all efforts to show that "she remains a huge priority for us [and] continues to have our full support."

"I really want to just start and reiterate, obviously, we're thinking of Brittney Griner at this time," Engelbert said before Sunday's game. "She's always with us, and our thoughts are with her this weekend."

"Wearing her jersey and letting the world know we are not whole without her, I think that's a statement in itself," Wilson added following the game. "We are not going to stop until everyone understands how serious this really is."