Sixers among those celebrating Brittney Griner’s release from Russian prison, U.S. return

Like many, Tobias Harris woke up Thursday to the news that Brittney Griner had been released from Russian detention.

And like many in the basketball community and beyond, the long-awaited resolution brought a smile to the 76ers standout forward’s face. Harris, teammate Montrezl Harrell, and coach Doc Rivers were among the Sixers who expressed excitement and relief about Griner’s safe return to the United States after a months-long standoff and eventual prisoner-swap negotiation.

“I can’t imagine what she’s gone through over this last year,” Rivers said following Thursday’s Sixers practice. “I just hope she’s healthy. I hope her mental health is strong, and that she can get back and just reintegrate herself back into our country.”

» READ MORE: Women’s basketball cheers Brittney Griner’s release: ‘The moment that we’ve all been praying for’

Griner, the perennial WNBA All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested in February for entering Russia — the country where she has long played during WNBA offseasons — with vape cartridges containing less than a gram of cannabis oil. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison and the Russian government came under attack for using its courts as a political tool.

Back home, several WNBA and NBA figures used their platforms to support Griner and declare their outrage at the injustice she faced.

Philly basketball legend Dawn Staley, who coached Griner at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, used nearly daily tweets to become one of the more prominent public voices. Global superstars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul spoke up. Yet Harris on Thursday shared an underlying feeling of helplessness, that “a lot of us here were praying for her and also sending well wishes, but there wasn’t much many of us could do.”

Rivers added that he wishes for all Americans wrongfully detained overseas to be brought home. Griner’s prisoner swap sent convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout back to Russia. But the U.S. was not able to strike a deal to free Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine who has been in Russian custody since December 2018 on espionage charges.

“We’ve got people in other countries, too,” Rivers said, “that are hostages because they’re Americans — no other reason. … It’s good that we could strike a deal. I don’t know the whole thing. I’m sure we probably let a criminal back on the streets.”

» READ MORE: Brittney Griner freed from Russian captivity in exchange for arms dealer

Harrell, meanwhile, wore a “Free BG” T-shirt to the Nov. 28 Sixers home game against the Atlanta Hawks. He later told The Inquirer that the attire’s purpose was to continue raising awareness because “I feel like it’s starting to slip [people’s minds] in these later months … but she’s still over there.”

On Thursday afternoon, Harrell posted a photo on his Instagram account of the shirt — and of him wearing it inside the Wells Fargo Center — to celebrate Griner’s release.

“Long overdue never should have been the case to start!” the photo caption said. “She was missed by so many and still loved by all!”