Indiana Fever supporting Brittney Griner’s ‘Heart and Soul Shoe Drive’

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Fever closes its home season while advocating for Brittney Griner. The team is bringing her shoe drive to Indianapolis. Although Britney Griner remains detained in a Russian prison, her impact is felt off the court. It’s inspiring WNBA teams, including the Indiana Fever, to give back and carry on the work through “BG’s Heart and Soul Shoe Drive,” an initiative she founded in 2016.
Fever forward Emma Cannon is Griner’s best friend, and the two played together in Phoenix.

“I wanted to do something that would honor her. I know this story she was driving down the street,” Cannon said.

When asked about the backstory of BG’s behind the shoe drive, she added, “In Phoenix, it is hot. She has seen a homeless man walking with no shoes on, so she stopped, pulled over, got shoes out of the trunk of her car, and gave them to him. And that’s how she came up with ‘Heart and Soul.’”

The fever invites fans to donate new and gently used shoes for its final home game of the season at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University on Friday at 7 p.m.

“For me, it is about her mental. She has been over there six months now. Not with anybody that truly speaks English, or somebody that she is familiar with. She’s only been able to write letters to her family,” Cannon said.

The U.S. government has designated Griner’s imprisonment as wrongful detainment, and it is ready to take steps toward negotiating a deal with Russia.

“It is important for Brittany to come home. It is important for Paul Whelan to come home. The president is going to work very hard with his national security team every day to make that happen,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, said.

“I hope everybody learns from this experience and learns what we can and can’t do, but going forward, at the end of the day, it is time to bring her home,” Cannon said.