Brittney Griner is trending after a former men’s college basketball player’s arrest overseas.
Jarred Shaw, a professional basketball player who played collegiately at Oklahoma State and Utah State, was arrested in Indonesia earlier this year. Shaw, 35, was arrested on May 7. He was swarmed by more than a dozen police officers at his luxury apartment complex. Shaw had just picked up a package.
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Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Police announced that Shaw, a Texas native, was arrested for having a package of THC-infused gummies sent from Thailand (where he’s lived in the offseason) sent to his home in Indonesia with the intent of distribution. Shaw claims that he was using the cannabis gummies for medical use, as he’s been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and dealt with chronic stomach pain.
“I was having a rough patch during the [2025 IBL] season, and I had the package sent,” Shaw said. “I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I had no idea about the laws here.
“I understand I made a mistake, and I’m sorry. I just want to get out of here. I want to go home.”
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Prison cell. (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)Newsday LLC/Getty Images
Drug laws in Indonesia are among the strictest in the world. Possible sentences, if Shaw is convicted of drug trafficking, include life in prison or even death by a firing squad.
There was a similar situation in the basketball world back in 2022. Brittney Griner, one of the most popular women’s basketball players in the world, was arrested by customs officers in Russia, who had discovered cartridges in her luggage that contained hash oil. Griner was imprisoned for nearly a year, before President Biden agreed to a prisoner swap.
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“Shaw, in comparison, is a virtual unknown in basketball circles (he played the 2015-16 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA Development League). Thus, his story has generated little buzz,” Andscape writes.
Griner is trending amid the latest arrest
Fans are calling on the U.S. Government to help Shaw the same way they helped Griner.
“Please stop being stupid overseas, it can potentially cost you your life. Ask Brittney Griner. Ask ASAP Rocky. Just start reading more about the laws and offenses over there bruh. And stop being stupid,” one fan wrote.
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“The United States literally traded a global war machine arms dealer back to the Kremlin for Brittney Griner. Send Indonesia some money and get Jarred Shaw back this is idiotic,” one fan added.
“Brittney Griner didn’t teach y’all anything? The Death penalty is crazy tho,” one fan added.
“Not as popular as Brittney Griner, but he is an American. Change my mind about y’all politicians and do something that’s not for image,” one fan added.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 27: Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury speaks during a “Bring Our Families Home” press conference at Footprint Center on April 27, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Griner was jailed in Russia for almost 10 months in 2022. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Shaw, meanwhile, made an appearance in court this week, as he continues to hope for a return to the United States.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
