As the Boston Celtics continue their NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, the team wore shirts in support of WNBA star Brittney Griner ahead of their practice on Saturday. According to a report by Souichi Terada of MassLive, multiple players on the Celtics wore black and orange “We Are BG” shirts to raise awareness for Griner’s plight.
Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was arrested in February on drug charges while in Russia. She was allegedly carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia. Griner has been in detention for over 100 days, with the U.S. Government declaring her to be “wrongfully detained” while tensions between the U.S. and Russia continue amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The shirts were super important because not only showing our support for our sister that’s wrongfully detained over in Russia, Brittney Griner,” Celtics forward Grant Williams said. “We just wanted to show that togetherness and love that we have throughout not only the NBA but the WNBA. She’s been a vital part of the WNBA for years past, college and in the amount of impact she’s had on young female athletes.”
After Williams wore a shirt in support of Griner on Boston’s team flight, he coordinated with the WNBPA and NBPA to have additional shirts shipped to San Francisco for practice. In addition to Williams, other players who spoke up in support of Griner included Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.
The Celtics showed support of Griner from a position of strength, as they earned a 120-108 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in San Francisco.
