PHOENIX — Amid the excitement of the WNBA's All-Star Weekend returning to Phoenix for the first time since 2014, there was a serious reminder for Phoenix Mercury and Team USA center Brittney Griner of the trying times she has faced over the past couple of years.
That's because Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison in Russia after being found guilty of espionage. His employer and the US government have called Gershkovich's trial a sham and he has denied any wrongdoing.
This comes less than two years after Griner was released from a Russian prison after a prisoner swap ended her nine-and-a-half-year sentence for cannabis oil possession after she spent 10 months in a Russian penal colony.
In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Griner had encouraging words for Gershkovich.
"I went through that, and I understand what that means," Griner said. "We have to get him back, we have to. You never know when that day is going to come but just don't lose, don't lose hope."
Gershkovich was found guilty in a court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a city in the Ural Mountains east of Moscow. Russian authorities accused him of spying for the CIA on a plant north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs military equipment, including tanks, according to the Associated Press.
This news also comes just before Griner will leave the US for the first time since returning from Russia in Dec. 2022.
She will head to Paris with Team USA to play in her third Olympics, and cannot wait to get to the City of Light.
"I'm happy, I'm in a great place," Griner told NBC News. "I'm representing my country, the country that fought for me to come back. I'm gonna represent it well."
Griner also spoke about welcoming her son, Bash, with wife, Cherelle, on July 8, admitting she is not thrilled to be leaving him so soon.
"It is hard leaving, but at the same time, you know, he's going to grow up in a sports family, so he's gonna understand," Griner said. "Every minute I feel like he's popping into my head. Literally everything revolves around him. And I love it."
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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