Sky coach/GM James Wade was at his home in France with his wife, Edwige Lawson-Wade, when he received word that after 294 days of being wrongfully detained in Russia, Brittney Griner was on her way home.
The moment, he said, is one he will remember forever.
“Me and Edwige shared an embrace,” Wade said. “It was really an emotional moment for us. We talked and prayed about [this day] a lot. So, it was a very special moment for us to share that we finally got the news we’ve been waiting for.”
“Moments like that, you don’t forget.”
Wade, who coached Griner at Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg from 2017-2020, has been a vocal presence throughout the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s detention. He wore an orange pin every day with the message “We are BG,” and spoke regularly in his press conferences about Griner, bringing attention to her wrongful detainment and pleading for her safe release.
The pair won two Euroleague titles during their time together as player and coach.
Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot and Emma Meesseman all shared the court with Griner playing for Ekaterinburg as well.
Early Thursday morning, news that Russia freed Griner broke after the U.S. agreed to a prisoner exchange with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Emotions similar to Wade’s were shared widely, stretching beyond Griner’s teammates and peers in the WNBA.
“Tears of joy today! And before Christmas? God is so good. Welcome home BG!!!! We love you!” Quigley shared on Twitter.
Tears of joy today! And before Christmas? God is so good…welcome home BG!!!! We love you!🙏🏻😭❤️
— Alexandria Quigley (@alliequigley) December 8, 2022
“BG is going home,” Meesseman tweeted.
“So, so happy for BG and her family,” Candace Parker, who won a gold medal with Griner in 2016 and played with her overseas, shared on Instagram. “This is amazing news.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a press conference following the news that Griner was safely on a plane en route to Texas. Engelbert said she was informed earlier in the week that negotiations had intensified and that a solution was in sight, but it wasn’t until Thursday morning that she received confirmation an exchange was successfully executed.
The next step for the league is helping ensure Griner’s mental, physical and emotional health is prioritized.
“She’ll get an evaluation and care through kind of, call it a repatriation system here into the U.S. through the government resources,” Engelbert said. “And we are here, the, Players Association, I’m sure, is already working on this as well.”
The last time Wade saw Griner in person was at Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals in Chicago, but he like other members of the WNBA community wrote her letters. Wade received one in return from Griner.
Currently no players in the WNBA are playing in Russia, a direct result of Griner’s detention. Many have vowed they would never play there again. Previously it was a destination for some of the league’s biggest stars, producing some of the highest salaries. Wade’s advice to his players moving forward as it pertains to careers overseas is to listen and offer advice pertinent to each individual.
“Those are really personal conversations,” Wade said. “You have to support people and understand where they are coming from and why they want to go overseas. Of course I coach in the WNBA. You want that to be the premier league, but you also have to listen to players.”
“Each individual player is different.”
Wade issued a statement expressing the Sky’s continued effort to uplift Griner as she returns home. He added the team’s support for Paul Whelan who at one point was believed to be part of an exchange with Griner for Bout.
His feelings were aligned with those of the league and Griner’s wife Cherelle who vowed to continue to fight for wrongfully detained Americans everywhere.
“We’re going to work with the WNBA and everybody to shed a light on social issues like we’ve always done,” Wade said. “I’m very proud to be part of this league and the change we apply our efforts and our hearts to.”
“I’m also very proud to be a Black man that stands up for social change as well. Especially coming from a history of people that have been oppressed and deprived. This is something I will always speak up for and be part of. I can’t hide from it. I’m happy to be part of a league that doesn’t hide from it either.”
"Today my family is whole — but as you all are aware, there's so many families who are not whole."
— ABC News (@ABC) December 8, 2022
Cherelle Griner pledges she and Brittney Griner "will remain committed to the work of getting every American home." https://t.co/MNTPJkMnuu pic.twitter.com/L97SUSYflL
