‘After I Held You Down While You Were In a Damn Russian Prison’: Fans Can’t Believe Reason Brittney Griner Filed for Divorce from Wife After Eight Years of Marriage
WNBA star Brittney Griner and her partner, Cherelle Griner, appear to be headed toward a divorce after eight years of marriage.
Brittney Griner’s decision to file for divorce, first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, shocked some fans and social media users online.
Their marriage was put to the test under an international spotlight in 2022, when Cherelle Griner, who is an attorney, fiercely lobbied President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to help Brittney Griner get released from a prison in Russia.
Griner was taken into custody by Russian officials after a flight to the country, where she was playing professionally at the time. The 6-foot-9 center was charged with smuggling “narcotic drugs” after a vape pen containing hash oil was found in her luggage, People Magazine reported in 2022.
Griner was initially sentenced to serve nine years in a Russia prison camp for the offense. She spent 10 months there before the Biden administration agreed with Russia to swap Griner in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was in U.S. custody at the time.
The images of Cherelle and Brittney Griner embracing when the WNBA standout finally returned from Russia elicited strong emotions from many who were eager to see her get home safely. That likely added to the surprise some felt after hearing news of their impending divorce just four years later.
“After I held you down while you were in a damn Russian prison???????” Instagram user @audaciouslex wrote. “Oh hell nah!”
In a divorce petition filed Thursday, Brittney Griner stated that her marriage with Cherelle Griner is “irretrievably broken,” per TMZ. The current member of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun also asked a judge to award joint legal custody of their son, Bash, who was born in 2024.
The Griners met while they were both students at Baylor University, where Brittney Griner played college basketball before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft.
That long journey as a couple now appears to be over for good.
“I couldn’t stop touching her face,” Cherelle Griner said when Brittney Griner returned from Russia 2022. “I was like, ‘Is this really you?’ It did not feel real. It was chilling — and warm. I was just holding on tight. I couldn’t let her go.”
