- Steph Curry called for Brittney Griner's freedom during Golden State's championship ring ceremony on Tuesday.
- Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison in August on drug smuggling charges.
Steph Curry took the microphone during the Golden State Warriors' NBA Championship ring ceremony on Tuesday night to give a birthday shout-out to WNBA star Brittney Griner and call for her freedom from Russian custody.
Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February, when officials alleged they discovered vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
In August, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after pleading guilty to drug smuggling charges.
Legal experts told Insider at the time that Griner's guilty plea was a strategic move in order to try to speed up the process of her return.
"We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shout out a very special member of the basketball community," said Curry ahead of Golden State's opening night 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Brittney Griner's birthday is today, she's 32. We want to continue to let her name be known, and we pray.
"It's been 243 days since she was wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody's doing their part to get her home."
—ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) October 19, 2022
Earlier this month, Griner's wife, Cherelle, told CBS's Gayle King that she is "terrified" that she may never see her wife again.
A Russian court is set to hear an appeal of Brittney Griner's sentence later this month, but the White House said it would be "another sham judicial proceeding."
"It feels like my wife is stuck in a hostage situation," Cherelle told King.
"It terrified me because when you watch movies, sometimes those situations don't end well," she added. "Sometimes they never get the person back."