Ariel Atkins says the women's basketball World Cup is a chance for Team USA to show the world their support for international teammate Brittney Griner, who has been sentenced to nine years jail in a Russian prison.
An eight-time WNBA All-Star, Griner travelled to Russia to play with UMMC Ekaterinburg in the WNBA off-season but was arrested on arrival in February after authorities found a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage.
The 2022 World Cup in Sydney is Team USA's first without Griner since 2010 and in solidarity with her, the three-time defending champions have retired her jersey number for the tournament.
American captain Breanna Stewart takes to Twitter every day to urge the US government to ramp up its efforts to bring Griner home but it isn't just her who feels strongly about Griner's release.
"We all are passionate about it. Every single one of us is a part of that," Atkins told AAP.
"You can't put this jersey on without thinking about BG. She's a big part of USA basketball."
Atkins says it should not take a World Cup to draw international attention to Griner's imprisonment, but said the team was playing with Griner in their hearts and minds.
"There should already be international attention on (Griner's imprisonment)," Atkins told AAP.
"If we haven't brought that to the forefront, people should know now that BG is our priority."
Canadian basketballer Kia Nurse is Griner's only WNBA teammate playing at the World Cup, having featured with her on the Phoenix Mercury's charge to the 2021 finals.
The only sides that remain undefeated, Canada and the USA are a strong chance to meet deep in the knockout stage of the tournament, but the clash between North American rivals will be bittersweet for Nurse without Griner on the court.
"I'm thinking about her every single day," Nurse told AAP.
"I'm thinking about her family.
"It won't be the same until she's back home. We'd probably be seeing her here (at the World Cup) in a US jersey as well."
It comes as WNBA players opt not to play in Russia during the off-season.
Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot are among the American players reportedly snubbing the Russian Premier League despite the lucrative contracts available while the WNBA is on hiatus.
Atkins, who played for the WNBL's Perth Lynx in the 2019/20 season, encouraged WNBA players to consider Australia as a potential destination to ply their trade in the off-season.
"I like the country, I like the people. It's beautiful," she said.
"I want to come back and play here in the future eventually."
