LeBron James' clumsy go at helping Griner might have just raised the price of her freedom

LeBron James is one of the Top 5 most famous athletes in the world.

He has roughly 50 million followers on social media and makes about $52 million a year in endorsements alone. In 2021-22 he made $121.2 million, according to Forbes magazine, and is the first NBA player to enjoy a net worth over $1 billion.

On Tuesday, James used all of his celebrity firepower to criticize the United States and, by implication, President Joe Biden, in an effort to try to free Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner.

It was so ham-fisted that James was cleaning up his mess with a follow-up tweet the same day. It was so ill-advised he may have raised the price for Griner’s release.

Running the social justice playbook

It is popular and no-doubt effective for the social justice crowd to run their pressure campaigns to move the needle in American politics, but it is a fool’s errand to run it in sensitive hostage negotiations with a Russian tyrant.

Especially with a Russian tyrant who spent 2020 trying to provoke racial tension in America before our national election.

Vladimir Putin no doubt loves standing back and watching American citizens beat up their own president, after he, Putin – not Biden –  took Brittney Griner hostage. We know he took her hostage because state-controlled Russian media has suggested that America could get her back for a price — for a prisoner exchange.

But if putting Brittney Griner in a Russian jail cell is going to provoke a political crisis for an American president who now leads the global effort to arm and fund the Ukrainian resistance against Russian invasion, this may pay dividends beyond Putin’s wildest dreams.

LeBrons' words a delight to Russian ears

Think of how the Russians must have relished LeBron’s words on Tuesday.

In a trailer promoting his YouTube show “The Shop: Uninterrupted” James suggested that Griner, approaching her fifth month in captivity, should feel betrayed by her own country.

“Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’ ”

The backlash online was so swift and fierce that James tweeted a clean-up quote soon after:

My comments on “The Shop” regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country. I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days! Long story short #BringHerHome

Just when did U.S. betray Brittney Griner?

Someone should have interrupted “The Shop: Uninterrupted” and asked this question:

Just exactly when did the United States betray Brittney Griner?

* Was it when President Biden made Griner’s case highest priority, directing the National Security Council to lead an interagency effort to bring her back home?

* Was it when the president directed his national security team to remain in regular contact with Griner's wife, Cherelle, and Brittney’s family?

* Was it when the president and his vice president, Kamala Harris, personally called and spoke with Cherelle Griner?

* Was it when the president reassured Cherelle that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible?

* Was it when he assured Cherelle and Brittney’s family the White House would provide them with all possible assistance?

* Was it the calls before when U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken kept in touch with Cherelle.

Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said recently that had Griner been LeBron James, things would be different.

"If it was LeBron, he'd be home, right? It's a statement about the value of women. It's a statement about the value of a black person. It's a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those things. We know it, and so that's what hurts a little more."

Sorry, but we all know life isn't fair

No. It was never any of that. Life isn’t fair.

Brittney Griner will never be world famous the way LeBron James is. He is a household name in countries across the globe. You can probably count on one hand the Americans who enjoy that kind of celebrity and influence.

The family of Paul Whelan wishes they had Brittney Griner’s problem. Whelan is another American hostage held in Russian captivity but for much longer than Griner -- three-and-a-half years,

His sister, Elizabeth, tweeted out:

“Still looking for that press release saying @POTUS has spoken to anyone in OUR family about #PaulWhelan, wrongfully detained in #Russia for 3.5 years.

“I am crushed. If he wants to talk about securing Paul’s release, he needs to be talking to the Whelans! What are we to think?!” 

But life isn’t fair.

Paul Whelan will never wield the power and influence Brittney Griner enjoys. He has never won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship or a professional basketball championship. He is not a celebrity.

Given the way the friends of our Phoenix Mercury celebrity have so botched the campaign for her release, that may work to his good fortune.

Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic. Email him at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: LeBron's clumsy go at helping Griner likely raised price for her release