Brittney Griner Says She'll Bring Back Americans Captured In Russia At Al Sharpton Event

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Ten months under Russian detainment can be harrowing, which is why WNBA star Brittney Griner is vowing to bring back Americans still captured in Russia after her drawn-out stay in the foreign country last year.

Holistically, Griner is making the honorable decision to learn from her experience in order to promote the liberation of U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who's been stuck in Russia since 2018.

How Seriously Should We Take Griner?

But she also spoke on her mission at an NYC event for Al Sharpton's "National Action Network's Women's Empowerment Luncheon" event — which isn't the best platform, per se.

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Brittney Griner accepts an award from Al Sharpton during The National Action Network's Women's Empowerment Luncheon on April 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Appearing at the event in New York City on Thursday, Griner spoke on her wish to see other Americans brought back home.

"I want to continue to fight to bring home every American detained overseas," Griner said. "That means everything to me."

With a book on the way and a potential return to the WNBA, Griner is looking to add "International Deal Broker" to her resume.

Griner Trade Made United States Look Weak

Worth repeating is the all-time terrible trade that made Griner's return possible. Biden agreed to send back Viktor "The Merchant of Death" Bout in order to retrieve Griner — a deal that heavily favored Russia. Or to put it in basketball terms, trading away Luka Doncic to your opponent's team to get back Tony Snell.

In what was an embarrassment for America's leadership, President Joe Biden succumbed to the demands of a foreign adversary. Also keep in mind that it all started over a weed pen Griner smuggled into the country.

(Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

The only question that remains is whether Griner will do the operation diplomatically or more 'no holds barred', e.g. Rambo-style extraction.

Brittney Griner may not have been the first woman to play in the NBA as her supporters swore, but she can be the first to extract Americans from Russia. And in that, we're all rooting for her.