Brittney Griner is coming home, 294 days after she was detained in Russia.

The sports world took to social media to celebrate the news of the WNBA star’s release from custody and imminent return to the United States.

The women’s basketball community took the lead in publicizing Griner’s plight. So after nearly 10 months of voicing their support from afar, players and coaches expressed their joy Thursday morning after President Joe Biden announced the Phoenix Mercury center had been freed in a prisoner exchange.

Top free agent Breanna Stewart tweeted a daily tally of Griner’s time in Russian custody. She ended her count with one final post.

BG is FREE!!! 294 days and she is coming home!!! 😭🤍🙏🏻❤️

— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) December 8, 2022

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, who coached Griner and Team USA to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has supported Griner through her words and through her wardrobe.

Staley’s Instagram and Twitter accounts are full of daily photos of her orange “Free BG” pin, the black block letters standing out against the bright background, and she has donned shirts with a similar message during several of the Gamecocks’ games so far this season.

“God’s grace is SUFFICIENT! Brittney Griner is home!” she tweeted Thursday.

God’s grace is SUFFICIENT! @brittneygriner is home! I love you BG!

— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) December 8, 2022

Mercury players also posted about their relief and excitement for their teammate, among them Brianna Turner, Kia Nurse and Shey Peddy, as well as Kaela Davis and Megan Gustafson.

so happy for BG 🥹🫶🏾 just in time for the holidays

— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) December 8, 2022

BG is coming home!!!!!🥺🥺🙏🏽🙏🏽🤍🤍

— Kia Nurse (@KayNurse11) December 8, 2022

Went from FREE BG to BG is FREE!! Won’t he do it! 🙌🏾

— Shey Peddy (@SheyP11) December 8, 2022

Several of the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces cheered Griner’s return, including A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Aisha Sheppard.

BG 🥹🙏🏽 God is so good

— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) December 8, 2022

Helll yea!!!! BG is free!! ❤️❤️❤️

— Chelsea Gray (@cgray209) December 8, 2022

BG IS FINALLY FREE 🥺❤️

— Aisha Sheppard (@____blessed2) December 8, 2022

WNBA coaches joined in the celebration, including Chicago Sky coach James Wade and Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller.

“Long overdue but excited she will be home soon,” Miller wrote.

Incredible news for Brittney Griner. Long overdue but excited she will be home soon.

— Curt Miller (@CurtMillerWBB) December 8, 2022

The celebration was not confined to the women’s basketball community.

Tennis icon Billie Jean King thanked Biden and “all those who worked so hard to secure her freedom.”

Brittney Griner is free!

After 294 days in Russian captivity, @POTUS negotiated a "one-for-one" prisoner swap.

Thank you to President Biden, and to all those who worked so hard to secure her freedom.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) December 8, 2022

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.