On Monday night, Rhyne Howard (Kentucky), NaLyssa Smith (Baylor), and Shakira Austin (Ole Miss) were drafted into the WNBA as the respective No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 overall picks. As they and the rest of the 2022 WNBA Draft class plan for their professional basketball futures, the Phoenix Mercury are planning for a season without the franchise's (and the league's) biggest star. 

When the 2022 WNBA season tips off on May 6, Brittney Griner will be thousands of miles away from Phoenix's Footprint Center, the Mercury's home court. She will be in pretrial detention -- through May 19, at least -- awaiting her day in a Russian court. 

As of this post, Griner has been in detention for 53 days. 

The reality of Griner's sizable absence from the forthcoming season could not go unmentioned on draft night thanks in large part to everyone who signed this petition, thus, challenging the WNBA's silence as well as the peeps coming from ESPN, its biggest broadcaster. "Before we get into tonight's event, I want to take a moment to reiterate the WNBA support for Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the top of the show. 

"Please know that getting her home safely continues to be our top priority," Engelbert added, calling the task "an extraordinarily complex challenge." To honor Griner's spirit of helping the most disenfranchised among us, this season the WNBA is coordinating with every team in the league to support Griner's annual shoe drive in Phoenix. 

Until my next planned update on May 6 (or sooner if we get additional news before then), I'd like to see this petition make it to 80,000 signatures! Please share it via email and on any social media platforms you use. 

In the meantime, please know that I am working hard behind the scenes on my book, chronicling these events in new chapters that I cannot wait for you to read.  

-TS