Basketball

Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury kisses her wife, Cherelle Griner.

Grim Until Griner: The Year in Sports and Politics Grim Until Griner: The Year in Sports and Politics

In 2022, silence and fear ruled the day. But Brittney Griner’s freedom provides a road map for all of us.

Dec 29, 2022 / Dave Zirin

Cherelle Griner speaking after Biden announced

A Vindication for Agitation: Brittney Griner Is Coming Home A Vindication for Agitation: Brittney Griner Is Coming Home

Many of the obstacles to freeing Brittney Griner were domestic, not foreign.

Dec 8, 2022 / Dave Zirin

United States women's basketball star Brittney Griner looks down during the national anthem before a game against Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The Response to Brittney Griner’s Capture Is an Indictment of the Right and the “Left” The Response to Brittney Griner’s Capture Is an Indictment of the Right and the “Left”

Why is commonsense solidarity so difficult?

Nov 29, 2022 / Dave Zirin

US basketball player Brittney Griner in a Russian prison

Brittney Griner’s Jail Conditions Speak to the Urgency of Bringing Her Home Brittney Griner’s Jail Conditions Speak to the Urgency of Bringing Her Home

If the US doesn’t bring her back, the basketball star’s nine-year prison sentence in Russia’s “land of prisons” will likely be brutal.

Nov 23, 2022 / Dave Zirin

Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving looks on from the bench during the third quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center on October 31, 2022.

The NBA’s Hypocrisies Are Sabotaging Its Response to Kyrie Irving The NBA’s Hypocrisies Are Sabotaging Its Response to Kyrie Irving

The league won't acknowledge its own culpability for the current climate of hate. 

Nov 7, 2022 / Dave Zirin

Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving claps looking into the camera at a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staplers Center in Los Angeles.

Kyrie Irving and the Fraught History of Our Collective Liberation Kyrie Irving and the Fraught History of Our Collective Liberation

Kyrie's anti-Semitism isn’t new, but his allies are. And that’s terrifying.

Nov 1, 2022 / Dave Zirin

US WNBA player Brittney Griner is escorted to the courtroom to hear the court's final decision in Khimki outside Moscow

On Her Birthday, We Learned About Brittney Griner’s Suffering On Her Birthday, We Learned About Brittney Griner’s Suffering

In an interview with her attorneys, the WNBA superstar revealed more details about her conditions in a Russian prison cell.

Oct 20, 2022 / Dave Zirin

Baylor women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey reacts during a game against Notre Dame at the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four

Brittney Griner Gets No Support From Former Coach Kim Mulkey Brittney Griner Gets No Support From Former Coach Kim Mulkey

The championship coach could not offer even a nod of solidarity to her former player languishing in a Russian prison.

Sep 28, 2022 / Dave Zirin

Becky Hammon assistant coaching the San Antonio Spurs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 7, 2022.

Does the NBA Deserve Becky Hammon? Does the NBA Deserve Becky Hammon?

The WNBA championship coach has left the NBA with egg on its face.

Sep 20, 2022 / Dave Zirin

WNBA star Sue Bird waves to fans after her last regular season home game of her career against the Las Vegas Aces at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Sue Bird Sets a Standard and Says Goodbye to the WNBA Sue Bird Sets a Standard and Says Goodbye to the WNBA

The legendary basketball player accomplished much on the court and moved the political needle off the court.

Sep 8, 2022 / Dave Zirin

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