Brittney Griner's name and number were featured on all players jerseys during the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game

• Players wore Brittney Griner's name and number on their jerseys during the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game.
• The superstar has been wrongfully detained in Russia on drug charges for nearly 5 months.

CHICAGO — Twenty two WNBA superstars took the floor at Chicago's Wintrust Arena for the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game on Sunday.

Brittney Griner was not among them, but her name was everywhere.

Players wore the 6-foot-9 WNBA superstar's name and number on their jerseys throughout the second half of this year's All-Star contest. The black and orange jerseys also featured the logo of Griner's WNBA franchise — the Phoenix Mercury — on the chest.

Check out the special threads via an ESPN video posted to Twitter:

—ESPN (@espn) July 10, 2022

Griner — who has been to seven All-Star games in her illustrious career and was named an honorary starter in 2022 — has been wrongfully detained in Russia since February of this year. The week before the All-Star game, she pleaded guilty to charges of large-scale transportation of drugs — but sources tell Insider the move could help expedite her return home.

Griner faces up to 10 years in Russian prison if convicted. And given Russia's notorious 99% conviction rate, she almost certainly will not earn her freedom through the courts.

Instead, a prisoner exchange with Russia is most likely to secure her return to the United States. Sources told Insider Griner's freedom could hinge on an unorthodox swap involving an ex-US Marine and a notorious Russian arms dealer.

The player jerseys were far from the only acknowledgment of Griner and her complex situation throughout All-Star weekend. A decal on the court at Wintrust Arena featured Griner's initials and number, as has been the case on every WNBA court throughout the 2022 season.

Her wife, Cherelle, was seated courtside during Sunday's game. She also joined the Rev. Al Sharpton for a press conference near the festivities Friday evening.

During that press conference, Cherelle said she was able to read a letter President Joe Biden wrote to her wife in response to the one Griner sent the White House on July 4.

"It brought me so much joy, as well as BG," Cherelle said. "He sees her as a person and he has not forgotten her."