Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie says she was told not to make a 'big fuss' over Brittney Griner situation

By Jacob Lev, CNN

Updated 2356 GMT (0756 HKT) March 25, 2022

Lisa Leslie, shown at last month's NBA All-Star Weekend, made the comments on a podcast, the full version of which will be released Monday.

(CNN)Basketball legend Lisa Leslie told the «I am Athlete» podcast that she was told not to make a «big fuss» over Brittney Griner's arrest by Russian authorities.

«What we were told, and again this is all sort of passed along through hearsay, but what we were told was to not make a big fuss about it so that they could not use her as a pawn, so to speak, in this situation in the war,» Leslie said in a clip of the interview released Friday. «So, to make it like it's not that important or don't make it where we're like, 'Free Brittney' and we start this campaign, and then it becomes something that they can use.»Leslie, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, played 12 seasons in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks, leading the team to championships in 2001 and 2002. ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRussian court extends WNBA star Brittney Griner's arrest until May 02:24In her career, Leslie, a 6-foot-5 center, was a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Now 49, Leslie retired after the 2009 season. She also won four Olympic gold medals and was a three-time All-America in college.Read MoreUS embassy in Moscow finds Brittney Griner 'in good condition' after getting consular accessLeslie did not say who the source of the information was, and it was not clear whether she knew who initially shared the guidance. The full episode of the podcast is scheduled to be released Monday. It is unclear when the episode was filmed. According to