The Houston Rockets didn’t get the win on Thursday night in San Antonio, but there were more important developments related to American basketball that took place earlier in the day.
Brittney Griner, a native Houstonian, seven-time WNBA All-Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was released from the Russian penal colony where she had been held captive as part of a one-for-one prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. More information on the news story is available at usatoday.com.
In pregame comments from AT&T Center captured by our Brian Barefield, head coach Stephen Silas offered his perspective:
It’s great any time you can have an American come back home. You can imagine that situation that she was in for nine months. So, there’s been so much support for her, especially in Houston.
I was at an event with the mayor (Sylvester Turner) at Toyota Center to bring Brittney back. To wake up this morning and hear that news… you almost get a little emotional about it, because you think about her family, the people who are closest to her that she has touched. She touched so many people in the NBA and WNBA.
I think that support, and the groundswell and the speaking up for her, helped the government kind of move in that direction. It’s a great day, and I’m so happy for her.
Griner, who was charged by Russian authorities with with possessing cannabis oil, was classified by the United States in May 2022 as being “wrongfully detained.” Since then, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has worked to secure her release.
The complete video of Silas’ remarks is available below.
Houston Rockets HC Stephen Silas was about the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner from a Russian prison camp. #LightTheFuse #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/pP1UDiQpJH
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 9, 2022
