Photo: Momodu Mansaray/WireImageAsStephen Curryand theGolden State Warriorsunveiled their fourth championship banner together on Tuesday night, the point guard turned the attention toBrittney Griner.“We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shout out a very special member of the basketball community,” Curry announced from the floor at San Francisco’s Chase Center.The 2022 Finals MVP continued, “Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32 years old.““We want to continue to let her name be known and we pray,” he said, before reminding Warriors fans that, “It’s been 243 days since she has been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia.“Curry added: “We hope that she comes home soon and everybody’s doing their part to get her home.“Griner, who was arrested in an airport near Moscow on February 17, spent her 32nd birthday in Russian prison.“It was an unusual birthday today,“Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s lawyers and a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners, told PEOPLE on Tuesday.Blagovolina andAlexander Boykov, who also represents Griner, visited her in prison on Tuesday.Griner is “very strong” says Blagovolina, before adding that Tuesday was “of course a difficult day for her, you can imagine because she is all alone in a jail in a foreign country.“Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via GettyGriner’s lawyers delivered her numerous letters of support during their visit. “We brought her a lot of letters, birthday messages from all over the world, from her family, from friends, her team; and that was very important for her.“Griner’s lawyers say she “very much appreciates the support and love she’s been getting,” and was “really happy to receive” the letters. “She feels the support. So this was good.“RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner’s Wife Cherelle Speaks Out on WNBA Star’s 9-Year Sentence: ‘It Terrifies Me’They had trouble guessing the exact number of letters Griner received, from “both athletes and regular people all around the world” because, her lawyers say, “we’re still getting them. Many, many, many.“Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.After the trial, Blagovolina had said the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” The athlete’s lawyers filed an appeal, and hearings for that will begin Oct. 25.
Photo: Momodu Mansaray/WireImage
AsStephen Curryand theGolden State Warriorsunveiled their fourth championship banner together on Tuesday night, the point guard turned the attention toBrittney Griner.“We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shout out a very special member of the basketball community,” Curry announced from the floor at San Francisco’s Chase Center.The 2022 Finals MVP continued, “Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32 years old.““We want to continue to let her name be known and we pray,” he said, before reminding Warriors fans that, “It’s been 243 days since she has been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia.“Curry added: “We hope that she comes home soon and everybody’s doing their part to get her home.“Griner, who was arrested in an airport near Moscow on February 17, spent her 32nd birthday in Russian prison.“It was an unusual birthday today,“Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s lawyers and a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners, told PEOPLE on Tuesday.Blagovolina andAlexander Boykov, who also represents Griner, visited her in prison on Tuesday.Griner is “very strong” says Blagovolina, before adding that Tuesday was “of course a difficult day for her, you can imagine because she is all alone in a jail in a foreign country.“Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via GettyGriner’s lawyers delivered her numerous letters of support during their visit. “We brought her a lot of letters, birthday messages from all over the world, from her family, from friends, her team; and that was very important for her.“Griner’s lawyers say she “very much appreciates the support and love she’s been getting,” and was “really happy to receive” the letters. “She feels the support. So this was good.“RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner’s Wife Cherelle Speaks Out on WNBA Star’s 9-Year Sentence: ‘It Terrifies Me’They had trouble guessing the exact number of letters Griner received, from “both athletes and regular people all around the world” because, her lawyers say, “we’re still getting them. Many, many, many.“Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.After the trial, Blagovolina had said the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” The athlete’s lawyers filed an appeal, and hearings for that will begin Oct. 25.
AsStephen Curryand theGolden State Warriorsunveiled their fourth championship banner together on Tuesday night, the point guard turned the attention toBrittney Griner.
“We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shout out a very special member of the basketball community,” Curry announced from the floor at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
The 2022 Finals MVP continued, “Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32 years old.”
“We want to continue to let her name be known and we pray,” he said, before reminding Warriors fans that, “It’s been 243 days since she has been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia.”
Curry added: “We hope that she comes home soon and everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”
Griner, who was arrested in an airport near Moscow on February 17, spent her 32nd birthday in Russian prison.
“It was an unusual birthday today,“Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s lawyers and a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners, told PEOPLE on Tuesday.
Blagovolina andAlexander Boykov, who also represents Griner, visited her in prison on Tuesday.
Griner is “very strong” says Blagovolina, before adding that Tuesday was “of course a difficult day for her, you can imagine because she is all alone in a jail in a foreign country.”
Brittney Griner shakes hands with her lawyer Alexander Boykov.EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty
Griner’s lawyers delivered her numerous letters of support during their visit. “We brought her a lot of letters, birthday messages from all over the world, from her family, from friends, her team; and that was very important for her.”
Griner’s lawyers say she “very much appreciates the support and love she’s been getting,” and was “really happy to receive” the letters. “She feels the support. So this was good.”
RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner’s Wife Cherelle Speaks Out on WNBA Star’s 9-Year Sentence: ‘It Terrifies Me’
They had trouble guessing the exact number of letters Griner received, from “both athletes and regular people all around the world” because, her lawyers say, “we’re still getting them. Many, many, many.”
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
After the trial, Blagovolina had said the sentence was “absolutely unreasonable.” The athlete’s lawyers filed an appeal, and hearings for that will begin Oct. 25.
source: people.com
