LeBron James On Brittney Griner: If I Were Her, I Wouldn't Return To The US

JAKARTA - According to LeBron James, Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for too long and the US government has not done enough to bring her home.

The LA Lakers star further said, if he was a WNBA star, he would not return to Uncle Sam's country.

When the topic of the American basketball star imprisoned in Russia surfaced on a recent "The Shop" tape, LeBron made this controversial statement.

"Now, how can he feel like America is backing him? I'll be like, 'Do I want to go back to America?'"

It's clear that LeBron doesn't think the United States is going to great lengths to get the Phoenix Mercury star back home. Griner was detained at a Russian airport near Moscow in mid-February after Russian authorities claimed to have found a vape cartridge containing marijuana oil in his bag.

The arrest of the lesbian basketball player was initially kept secret from the American public, which was intentional by the United States. They realized that Russia could use Griner as leverage over the West as the Russo-Ukrainian conflict continued.

The full episode of "The Shop" airs the following Friday on HBO.

Griner's current situation

Cherelle Griner, partner of Brittney Griner, recently spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. To be fair to LeBron's comments, the episode "The Shop" appears to be shot before Cherelle's conversation with the president.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, frequently answers questions from reporters on all matters relating to Griner.

The Griners have also been in touch with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Like Brittney, former Baylor athlete Colin Allred has spent hours working towards the goal of freeing Griner.

Griner recently appeared before a judge and expressed his desire to plead guilty to drug charges after spending months in a Russian cell.

He has yet to receive a verdict and could spend 10 years behind bars.