Inside The Heat

Brittney Griner Release Should Appease Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, Udonis Haslem

WNBA star released from prison in Russia

Shandel Richardson

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On Thursday morning, WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from prison in Russia on drug charges. 

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and forward Udonis Haslem will be among those cheering. Both were vocal when Griner was jailed. Griner was freed in exchange for Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, also known as "The Merchant of Death." 

"I want her to know from my Miami Heat family and the NBA family, that we are still thinking about you and everything that you're going through. You are in our hearts and in our minds," Haslem said recently on the situation..

Adebayo expressed his disappointment, too, after Griner was sentenced to nine years because of marijuana possession.  

Adebayo kept his response short by posting on Twitter, "Smh 9 Years ... Free BG." 

The Griner situation drew attention from several NBA stars, including former Heat player LeBron James. Now with the Los Angeles Lakers, James initially erred in saying the United States government failed in assisting Griner. After realizing the government attempted to help Griner, James clarified his statement.  

"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!," James wrote on social media. "Long story short #BringHerHome."

Griner is a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and a eight-time all-star with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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