Chet Holmgren at the 2022 NBA Draft in New York City.Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty
Oklahoma City Thunder star rookieChet Holmgrenis calling for the safe return of detained WNBA playerBrittney Griner.
“I definitely think that Brittany Griner should be home right now,” Holmgren, 20, tells PEOPLE on his first day at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Holmgren, who was drafted second overall in the league’s 2022 draft, has been dominating the NBA’s summer tournament. But the 20-year-old athlete continues to make time to follow Griner’s trial.
“Yeah…I’ve been following, seeing the situation evolve,” says Holmgren. “It’s a terrible situation, it’s just a terrible situation all around.”
“There’s a sense of helplessness on my end,” he continues. “And I’m sure that many other people are feeling that too right now.”
Chet Holmgren, No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.Abbie Parr/Getty
Holmgren has been using his platform on social media to spread awareness throughout Griner’s detainment, which he says is crucial to the cause.
“There’s definitely a level or aspect of awareness that has to happen for certain things to happen in today’s age,” says Holmgren.
“Beyond just the WNBA, she’s a person,” Holmgren continues. “And for her to just…whether she played basketball or not, for her to just be left over there and nobody do anything would be pretty wrong.”
“Hopefully, she’s able to come home soon,” Holmgren adds.
WNBA All-Star Game 2022.
ThePhoenix Mercurystar’s name and number 42 were displayed on the court, and all of the all-stars donned Griner’s jersey for the second half of Sunday’s game.
Seattle Storm guard Sue Birdtold reporters, “Yeah, every now and then we’ll answer questions about All-Star and talk about basketball, but you’re going to see her name on the back of all of our shirts. We want it to always be there.”
RELATED VIDEO; Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Russian Drug Charges: ‘I Did Not Want to Break the Law’
While the WNBA is working to keep Griner at the forefront of media attention, NBA players have received some criticism for not doing more.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Holmgren joinsLeBron James,Jayson Tatum,Marcus Smart, andJaylen Brownas NBA stars who have voiced their support for Griner.
James, 37, tweeted out a petition to bring Griner home in June and said, “We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely!! Our voice as athletes is stronger together.”
During the 2022 NBA Finals,several Boston Celtics players, including Brown, wore “We Are BG” shirts, which featured a QR code linking to the same petition, ahead of their team practice.
“As a collective, we wanted to come out and show our support for Brittney Griner,” Brown said of the shirts during apress conference. “She’s been over there for an extended amount of time, and we feel like enough is enough.”
Griner’s trial in Russia began on July 1, and on Thursday the WNBA star pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the country, saying she did so “inadvertently.” She faces up to 10 years if she is convicted.
source: people.com
