WNBA star Brittney Griner has been making headlines not just for her impressive basketball skills, but also for her personal life.
Griner, who joined the Phoenix Mercury basketball team in 2013, married Cherelle Griner in June 2019.
Cherelle, formerly known as Cherelle Watson, attended Baylor University from 2010 to 2014 where she majored in political science and government with a minor in family and child studies. She recently graduated from the North Carolina Central University of Law with a Juris Doctor degree.
The couple first met while attending Baylor University in Texas but only started dating after Brittney’s previous marriage to Glory Johnson ended in 2016. After a romantic proposal in 2018, the couple tied the knot the following year.
In a heartwarming Instagram post, Brittney expressed her love for Cherelle and reminisced about the day they met, describing how she knew Cherelle was the one for her. In April 2024, the couple revealed that they are expecting a baby, their first child together.
However, their journey has not been without challenges. In February 2022, Brittney was detained in Russia for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into the country. After months of uncertainty, President Joe Biden spoke with Cherelle and reassured her that he was working to secure Brittney’s release.
On December 8, 2022, Brittney was released from jail in a prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout. Cherelle, who had been advocating for her wife’s release, expressed relief that their family was finally whole again.
She also emphasized the ongoing efforts to bring home other American detainees, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan, who remains imprisoned in Russia.
