
Becky Hammon, an American-Russian professional basketball coach and a six-time WNBA all-star player who represented Russia at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, made a plea to President Vladimir Putin to "do the right thing" and quickly release Brittney Griner.
Hammon, hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 2014, became the second female assistant coach and the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history.