Brittney Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Women’s National Basketball Association. Houston Mayor Bill White proclaimed May 7, 2009, as Brittney Griner Day. In February 2022, she was detained in Russia and released in December 2022. In 2023, she signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury.
Brittney Griner Personal Life
Brittney Griner was born on 18 October 1990 in Houston, Texas, United States to Raymond Griner, a Harris County deputy sheriff and Vietnam War veteran, and Sandra Griner. She is the youngest of three siblings, Decarlo Griner, Shkera Griner, and Pier Griner.
During her high school days, she also played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Beginning in her sophomore year, Griner trained with the boys’ basketball team and worked with Nimitz’s football coach to develop leg strength in preparation for learning dynamics.
During her junior season, a YouTube video of her dunks received more than 6.6 million views, leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal. Houston Mayor Bill White proclaimed May 7, 2009, as Brittney Griner Day.
On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks against Houston’s Alief Hastings, the most ever by a woman in a high school game in the United States. She was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America game, leading the team with 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Brittney Griner Career
WNBA
In the 2013 WNBA Draft, Griner was selected with the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against the Chicago Sky, Griner tied the WNBA record for dunks with two dunks, matching Candace Parker’s career total. She thus became the third WNBA player to do so twice in one game. She was a dominant defensive force in the league during the season, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. Griner was named a WNBA All-Star, but missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury and was replaced by Tina Thompson.
In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said she was considering drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the possibility, but the team did not extend a tryout offer. In the 2014 season, Griner’s statistics improved as he averaged 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had a WNBA record 11 blocks against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.
On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to shut out a playoff game when she helped the Mercury beat the Los Angeles Sparks 93–68 at Staples Center. In 2015, Griner would have the most productive defensive season in WNBA history despite missing the first seven games due to a domestic violence suspension. She averaged a career-high and WNBA-high 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record. as early as the 1998 season. Despite playing without their star guard Diana Taurase, the Mercury continued to make the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks in Game 1 against the Tulsa Shock, against whom she also had 11 blocks in the regular season last year. The Mercury advanced to the second round, where they defeated the Minnesota Lynx, who went on to win the championship that year.
In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury performed better in the playoffs. Griner averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game heading into the playoffs as the Mercury went 16-18. Griner had her sixth triple-double in WNBA history during the season with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a win against the Atlanta Dream. With the WNBA’s new playoff format in place, the Mercury was ranked #8 in the league when they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.
On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year contract following the expiration of his rookie contract. In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career to date. On June 7, 2017, Griner had a career-high 38 points and 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever. Griner missed 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to ankle and knee injuries, but finished the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game. blocks for the fifth consecutive season. The Mercury finished 18–16 with 5. In a first-round playoff game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69 to advance to the second round. Griner had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In a second-round playoff game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88-83 to advance to the semifinals. Griner had 26 points and 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury lost to the Los Angeles Sparks in 3 games.
In 2018, Griner appeared in all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth All-Star game. On August 18, 2018, Griner had 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a 104–95 win over the Atlanta Dream. That season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth straight year. The Mercury finished the season 20-14. league, ranking number 5.
In 2019, Griner was voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career All-Star appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky. At the end of the season, Griner led the league in scoring for the second time in her career and continues for the seventh consecutive season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed, and were eliminated by the Chicago Sky in the first round of the playoffs, 105–76. Griner left the game in the second half with a knee injury.
The 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shortened to 22 games in the IMG Academy bubble. After 12 games, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons. Without Griner, the Mercury finished 5th at 13-9. They would advance to the second round, where they would lose to the Minnesota Lynx in the playoffs.
During the 2021 regular season, the Mercury was 19-13, fourth in the Western Conference, and Griner averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 32.8 minutes in 30-of-36 games. She led the playoffs with 240 points, helping the Mercury beat the New York Liberty, and Seattle Storm, leading Las Vegas Aces and the Mercury to reach the WNBA. The final, where they lost in four games to the Chicago Sky.
In 2023, she signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury.
International
Griner played overseas during the WNBA offseason. In the 2013–14 season, she played for Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA in China, where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, 12 times what Mercury earned in the Phoenix Mercury rookie season.
She was named MVP of the 2014 WCBA All-Star Game. In the 2014-2015 season, she played for WCBA Beijing Wall in China. Peking Wall finished the season as runner-up in the playoffs. In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons, Griner played for UMMC Yekaterinburg in Russia with teammate Diana Tauras and won back-to-back championships.
In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Yekaterinburg for the 2016–17 season. In 2017, she re-signed with UMMC Yekaterinburg for the 2017–18 season and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Yekaterinburg for a fifth season in the 2018–19 season.
National Team
In September 2011, Griner played for two weeks under coach Geno Auriemma for Team USA as part of its European training trip. Griner was the only college player in the group. She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game with Team USA in Europe. Griner was the only player still playing in college on the 2012 USA Basketball Olympic team roster. Except for Griner, the average age of the finalists was in the 30s, while Griner was 22 at the time of the Olympics.
In April 2012, Griner decided not to compete in the 2012 Olympics due to a family illness and school schedule. In 2016, she played for the US women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and won her first Olympic gold medal when she defeated Spain 101-72 in the final.
She became the first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and an NCAA title joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning a gold medal for Team USA.
Brittney Griner Net Worth
Brittney has a net worth of $18 million. She earns via being a professional basketball player. She gets an annual salary of $165,100.
She also earns via brand endorsements. She was signed by Nike, which became the first company to sign a deal with an openly gay athlete.
She also owns luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and a few others. She lives in a 4,000-square-foot luxury home in Houston, Texas which she bought for around $4 million.
Brittney Griner Sexuality
On 11 February 2013, she came out as a lesbian. She previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father disapproved of, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during high school. She later co-authored a memoir about bullying and self-acceptance with Sue Hovey, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.
Brittney Griner Relationship
On August 14, 2014, Griner became engaged to another WNBA player, Glory Johnson. On May 8, 2015, they were married in Phoenix. On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins, named Ava and Solei, which came from Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization. The next day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for annulment on grounds of fraud and duress; the annulment was denied. Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature. Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson. The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.
In August 2018, Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson and they married in June 2019. Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.
Brittney Griner Domestic Violence
On April 22, 2015, Griner and Glory Johnson were arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between them in their suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. Both suffered some injuries.
After the incident, Brittney pleaded guilty to “domestic violent disorderly conduct.” She was given a contract that included a 26-week domestic violence counseling program. When she finished it, all charges were dismissed.
Brittney Griner Imprisonment
On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested in Russia for drug trafficking. She was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport after federal customs officials discovered she had vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hashish oil. In Arizona, she was prescribed medical cannabis, which is illegal in Russia. n May 2022, the US State Department announced that they had determined that Griner had been wrongfully detained. On the second day of the trial, July 7, Griner pleaded guilty but said she had no intention of breaking the law. Griner requested to be allowed to testify in court. On August 4, a court found Griner guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles, although the standard sentence for possession of up to 2 grams of hash oil is 15 days.
On November 17, Griner’s lawyers said she was transferred to IK-2, a female penal colony in Yavasi, Mordva Oblast; she was held at a previously undisclosed location. Griner’s family enlisted the help of Bring Our Families Home to publicize her release. On December 8, Russia released her in a 1-for-1 prisoner swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had served 10 years of a 25-year federal prison sentence in the United States.
Brittney Griner Education
Brittney attended Nimitz High School in Houston. From 2009 to 2013, she attended Baylor University for her graduation.
Brittney Griner Instagram Account
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Brittney Griner Physical Stats
| Height | 6 ft 8 in / 203 cm |
| Weight | 207 lb / 94 kg |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Breast/Bust size | 30 in / 78 cm |
| Waist size | 25 in / 66 cm |
| Hips size | 35 in / 90 cm |
| Bra size | 36A (US) / 80A (EU) |
| Cup size | A (US) |
| Dress Size | – |
| Shoe (Feet) Size | 17 |
Brittney Griner Wiki/Bio
| Name | Brittney Griner |
| Full Name | Brittney Yevette Griner |
| Date Of Birth | 18 October 1990 |
| Age | 32 (as of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Position | Center |
| Jersey Number | 42 |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Gender | Female |
| Sexuality | Lesbian |
| Parents | Raymond Griner, Sandra Griner |
| Siblings | Decarlo Griner, Shkera Griner, Pier Griner |
| Partner | N/A |
| Spouse | Cherelle Griner (m. 2019), Glory Johnson (m. 2015–2016) |
| Children | Ava and Solei |
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