Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving offered a “special opening night message” Wednesday, following in the footsteps of Steph Curry and pleading for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner. Griner has been locked up in Russia since her arrest in February at a Moscow airport after authorities said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her bags. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in September by a Russian court. Irving appeared prior to the start of the Nets game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and with his teammates behind him, he said “the big picture that’s going on in the world is to free our sister Brittney Griner.” He pleaded, “Please, please POTUS, do your job. Everybody do your job, please bring our sister home.” The crowd could be heard cheering Irving on afterward, chanting his name. He followed the Golden State Warriors’ Curry, who on Tuesday night said: “Brittney Griner’s birthday is today, she’s 32. We want to continue to let her name be known, and we pray. It’s been 243 days since she was wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”
