LeBron Jamesis having a hard time imagining himself inBrittney Griner’s shoes.
In a longer version of the clip, media personality Maverick Carter first explains the WNBA star’s circumstances toGet OutactorDaniel Kaluuya. “So there’s a woman called Brittney Griner who’s an amazing basketball player, amazing person, she was in Russia playing, the war broke out, on her way back flying home they said she had some amount of hash, which is illegal in Russia,” Carter explains. James then joins in saying that she’s been detained for “over 110 days.”
“It’s pretty f–ked up what’s going on,” Carter says. “And the WNBA season has already started and she’s still hasn’t come back,” James adds.
“She’s a superstar,” artist Rashid Johnson interrupts. “We’re talking the top of the top, this is the LeBron of the WNBA.”
After that, the show’s co-creator Paul Rivera asks James if he’s ever thought about what it would be like if it were him in this situation. “I was trying to imagine it and it’s hard for me to even put myself into what she’s going through,” he says.
“She’s such a great human being, a great person,” he adds. “You always feel like, you know, if you’re from a certain place you always feel like they’ve got your back. And in a sense like now how could she feel like America has her back? Like, I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America if I’ve been gone for over 130 days and I felt like it’s been zero effort?’ "
Kevin C. Cox/Getty; Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty
In his tweet, James said that he “wasn’t knocking our beautiful country” and that “I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days!”
“Long story short #BringHerHome,” he added.
“#FreeGB,” he added in anotherTweet.
InThe Shop’s Instagram post with the clip, they said that the episode was “filmed 6/24 prior to the administration’s recent engagement and critical steps to bring BG home.”
“The Shop was started to have the real conversations happening in our community, UNINTERRUPTED,” they said. “We got people talking with this one and we hope to keep em talking about it. The louder we get for BG, the better.”
James has been a vocal supporter of Grinersince her arrest. The WNBA star faces up to 10 years in prison in Russia afterpleading guilty to smuggling drugs into the country, saying she did so “unintentionally.”
In June, James shared a message onTwitter"demanding” PresidentJoe Bidenand Vice PresidentKamala Harrisactively work on Griner’s safe return.
“As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, BG’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally,” the Los Angeles Lakers star wrote on behalf of his company, Uninterrupted. “It is imperative that the U.S. Government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home.”
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.
“We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely!!” James said. “Our voice as athletes is stronger together.”
The latest episode ofThe Shopairs Friday, July 15 at 9 a.m. PT/ 12 p.m. ET exclusively on the Uninterrupted YouTubechannel.
source: people.com
