The players of Phoenix, the team of Brittney Griner, and Connecticut observed Thursday 42 seconds of silence before their WNBA championship game to support the American basketball player, sentenced to 9 years in prison by a Russian court for drug trafficking.
Gathered in the center of the floor of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, the players of the two teams, all holding each other by the waist, heads bowed, some in tears, thus showing their support for Griner, the 42 seconds corresponding to his usual jersey number with Phoenix.
Among the public, many people in the grip of the same strong emotion had worn t-shirts bearing the image of the star of women's basketball, with the inscription "
We are BG
" ("
We are BG
").
During a press conference before the meeting, Vanessa Nygaard, the coach of Mercury, confided how "
it was really hard to see BG today and to hear his words
", referring to "
a very emotional day for the whole team
”.
“
The players were looking at her.
Emotions intensified throughout the day.
We are going to play, but how can we focus on this match?
It's such an emotional day for us.
It was hard to hear the news
,” she continued.
Earlier in the day, the world of American sport, from basketball authorities (WNBA, NBA, American Federation...) to players, expressed their sadness and called on the American government to use all its power to "
liberate BG
”, a slogan that continues to flow on social networks (“
Free BG
”).
Read alsoBasketball: Russia “ready” to discuss a prisoner exchange in the Brittney Griner case
Arrested in February in Moscow with a vaporizer containing cannabis-based liquid, shortly before the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the double Olympic champion was caught up in the geopolitical crisis between Russia and the United States.
Joe Biden calls sentence 'unacceptable'
After calling the heavy sentence "
unacceptable
", Joe Biden reopened the way for a possible exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Washington.
“
We have made a substantial offer to bring her (…) home.
We urge Russia to accept this proposal
,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Read alsoBasketball: how will the Brittney Griner affair affect WNBA players under contract in Russia?
"
We know that the Biden administration and all the representatives of our government will work hard to bring her home and that's how she will come back
," said Vanessa Nygaard.
“
We know Brittney is wrongfully imprisoned, our government has said so.
We know that we should not place our hopes in the Russian judicial system
,” she insisted, saying she was “
very impressed by his courage and his strength
” when delivering his verdict.
“
Brittney was so brave, she showed great strength and great humility.
We just want her to go home
,” she concluded.