Dawn Staley and Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed Brittney Griner back to the WNBA

Staley, who was one of the biggest campaigners to free Griner from imprisonment in Russia, had a courtside seat and gave Griner a big hug during pregame warmups.

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published May 20, 2023, 10:31 a.m. ET

Brittney Griner’s long-awaited return to the WNBA drew a star-studded crowd including Dawn Staley, Vice President Kamala Harris, Billie Jean King and Magic Johnson to watch Griner’s Phoenix Mercury’s visit the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night.

Staley, who was one of the biggest campaigners to free Griner from imprisonment in Russia, had a courtside seat and gave Griner a big hug during pregame warmups.

“‘Sup, coach? Thank you so much,” Griner said.

“I love you, I love you” Staley responded.

Harris also sat courtside, and met with Griner before the game in the Mercury’s locker room.

“Great time at the game tonight cheering on the @LASparks and @PhoenixMercury as we celebrated @BrittneyGriner‘s return to the court,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “Her grace, courage, and determination are an inspiration to all.”

Nike and the WNBA took out billboards in downtown Los Angeles on Friday to welcome Griner back with the message “Basketball Is Home.”

Griner was arrested in February of last year at Moscow’s airport for carrying vape oil in her luggage while playing for a pro team in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason. She pled guilty at a trial in July that was widely derided outside Russia, and was imprisoned.

Before the trial, the U.S. government formally called her wrongfully detained. After months of negotiations, the government was able to secure her release last December in a prisoner exchange.

“During the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” Griner said in a postgame news conference Friday.

Griner, her wife, Cherelle, and the WNBA have promised to work to help free other American political prisoners around the world. Those in Russia include Paul Whelan, Pittsburgh-area resident Marc Fogel, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

At the time Griner was freed, Whelan’s brother David said, “The Biden administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”

As for Saturday’s game, Griner had a team-high 18 points, plus six assists and four blocks. But the Sparks were the better team, and won the game 94-71. A crowd of 10,396 was in attendance at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Griner plays her first home game back with the Mercury at 4 p.m. Sunday. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.