Lakers News: LeBron James Weighs in On Brittney Griner Situation

On the latest episode of his show "The Shop", LeBron James discussed WNBA star Brittney Griner being detained in Russia.

The WNBA is smack-dab in the middle of their regular season, but one of the league's biggest stars has missed the entire season due to a situation that's garnered national attention. Seven-time All-Star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February after authorities found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Plenty of voices has discussed Griner's detainment, but LeBron James weighed in during the most recent episode of his show, "The Shop".

James openly questioned United States officials' slow response in trying to use international diplomacy to bring Griner back to the United States (quotes via The Athletic).

"Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, 'Do I even want to go back to America?'"

On July 7th, Griner plead guilty to drug charges in Russian court. According to the New York Times, Griner is being charged with "large-scale transportation of drugs, an offense that can carry a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars in Russia".

Just a few days before her guilty plea, Griner requested president Joe Biden's help in ensuring her release. The president, according to The Athletic, contacted Griner's wife Cherelle to communicate that he is "working to secure Brittney's release".

LeBron has not shied away from hot topics in previous episodes of "The Shop", so it doesn't come as a surprise that he would touch on the Griner situation.

The full episode is set to be released on the show's YouTube channel on July 15th.