CHICAGO — Like any other milestone in the WNBA, the 2022 All-Star Game will be about much more than basketball.
The Chicago Sky will be well represented on the Wintrust Arena court — Candace Parker was named an All-Star starter, while Courtney Vandersloot, Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman are reserves. But WNBA players rarely stay on the sidelines when it comes to a fight for human rights. And as the league converges on Chicago for All-Star weekend, players carry with them the burden of a tumultuous year of advocacy for trans children, reproductive rights and gun control.
But the foremost issue for the league and its players is the imprisonment of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, who pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in Russia earlier this week in an effort to possibly secure a prisoner exchange with the U.S. government.
