WNBA star Brittney Griner attended the 54th NAACP Image Awards tonight in Pasadena, Calif., alongside her wife Cherelle Griner. The couple was brought on stage by host Queen Latifah as the athlete gave a short but powerful speech onstage. “I want to thank everyone,” the WNBA star, who was imprisoned for months on drug charges in Russia last year, said. “Let’s fight to bring home every American detained overseas.”
Brittney was sharply suited for the occasion in a black blazer with sleek lapels and pointy shoulder pads. The star athlete wore a crisp white button-down underneath the jacket and paired the preppy style with black trousers.
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The basketball player wore a classic pair of shiny black dress shoes with thin black laces, the leather footwear offering the fashionable star a wide range of movement while traversing the stage.
In a similar style, Cherelle wore a suit but in a bright purple hue. The vibrant style was worn with flared trousers and nothing on underneath the blazer. Adding a boost of height, Cherelle wore sharply contrasting pink pointed-toe pumps that hid behind the flared hem.
Brittney was convicted on drug possession and smuggling charges in Russia. The athlete was detained last year by Russian Federal Customs Service officials after they found vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in the athlete’s luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport. The WNBA player was released in a prisoner exchange led by the Biden administration.
The 2023 NAACP Image Awards honor the accomplishments of Black entertainers, activists and political leaders. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Queen Latifah on Feb. 25 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., with presenters including Zendaya, Janelle Monae and Kerry Washington. The event’s winners were announced prior to the ceremony, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams.
PHOTOS: See all of the celebrity red carpet arrivals at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
