Brittney Griner's Sister Shekera Says WNBA Star's Detention Has Been 'Gut-Wrenching'

Shekera Griner, the sister of WNBA star Brittney Griner, commented Friday on the detention of her sister in Russia.

Shekera called Brittney's detention "gut-wrenching," and called on United States President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the entire administration to "do whatever necessary" in order to bring Brittney home "safely and quickly."

Friday marks 113 days since Griner was first wrongfully detained by Russian authorities at an airport in Moscow for allegedly possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil.

Last month, the United States government changed its classification of Griner to "wrongfully detained," opening the door for the U.S. to negotiate Griner's return to the country rather than allowing the Russian legal system to play out.

It was also reported by ESPN's T.J. Quinn that U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson agreed to work on Griner's case after previously working for many years as an international hostage negotiator.

There have been reports regarding the United States considering a prisoner swap with Russia, but nothing has come to pass yet.

Former WNBA star and current University of South Carolina head women's basketball coach Dawn Staley tweeted Friday about bringing Griner home:

Griner, 31, is widely regarded as one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time due to her success collegiately, professionally and internationally.

The 6'9" center won a national championship and Player of the Year award at Baylor before playing for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA with whom she has been named an All-Star seven times to go along with two scoring titles, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and one championship.

Griner also won gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics as part of Team USA.

Since the start of the 2022 WNBA season, teams have placed decals on their courts featuring Griner's initials and jersey numbers.