DALLAS — Brittney Griner's return to Dallas marks 740 days since the last basketball game the WNBA star played in Texas. Even her competitors said they are happy to see her.
And families across the United States, with loved ones still detained overseas, hope Griner's gravitational pull can somehow help them too.
"Even though last time she was here she dunked on us," joked Dallas Wings star guard Arike Ogunbowale prior to facing off against Griner and the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night. "But I'm just happy to have her back in this building."
The Dallas Wings organization also welcomes Griner to Dallas by including the Bring Our Families Home Campaign to their game night promotion. The group works to bring attention to U.S. citizens wrongfully detained abroad.
Wednesday's game will highlight the family of Zack Shahin, who has been detained in the United Arab Emirates for more than 15 years.
On Instagram, Griner highlighted several others profiled by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, saying that by writing a book about her ordeal in Russia she hopes "to raise awareness surrounding other Americans wrongfully detained abroad such as Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Emad Shargi, Airan Berry, Shahab Dalili, Luke Denman, Eyvin Hernandez, Majd Kamalmaz, Jerrel Kenemore, Kai Li, Siamak Namazi, Austin Tice, Mark Swidan and Morad Tahbaz."
"I admire her for not just saying, you know what, I'm home, I'm cool, I'm good. No, she cares about people and she's going to work hard to advocate and do what she can to put light on other U.S. citizens who are imprisoned really around the world," WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman told WFAA. Lieberman plans to attend the Wednesday night game to greet Griner and her friends on the Phoenix Mercury, one of her former teams.
Every time Griner makes her first appearance in a U.S. city, these same stories follow her. The Bring Our Families Home Campaign hopes that inertia, and Griner's experience, will continue to help with the pressure and publicity needed to bring a happy ending to their ordeals too.
In addition to highlighting the work of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, the Wings will also welcome Griner's high school team, Nimitz Senior High School, as well as the Baylor women's basketball program to College Park Center.