Brittney Yevette Griner excellently known as Brittney Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She joined the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury in 2013 after being drafted first overall; named a WNBA All-Star in her first year with the team. In 2009, she excelled for Nimitz High School’s basketball team in Houston, Texas, and was named the #1 Women’s Basketball Player in the Country. She also led Baylor University to the 2012 women’s national championship and she was named Division I Player of the Year. Griner led Baylor to a national title during the same season that legendary coach Pat Summitt stepped down due to her ongoing battle with dementia. Also, she was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics in June 2021, where she won her second gold medal.
Brittney Griner arrested in Russia on drug charges
Brittney Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia in February 2022. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport with what the Federal Security Service said was hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia. There is concern that Russia may be holding her hostage as a response to the Western sanctions amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is pushing for her release.
USA Basketball, the sport’s governing body in the US, said on Twitter that it was “aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia”. It added: “Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and well-being are our primary concerns.” The team issued a statement echoing the language of USA Basketball and adding, “We love and support Brittney, and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home.”
Famous For
- Being an American professional basketball player.
- For playing for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Where is Brittney Griner from?
Brittney Griner was born on 18th October 1990 with the real name of Brittney Yevette Griner in Houston, Texas, the U.S. She is American by nationality and African-American by ethnicity. Similarly, her religion is Christian and her race is black. Brittney has celebrated her 31st birthday as of 2021 and as per her birth date, her star sign is Libra. She is the daughter of Raymond Griner (father) and Sandra Griner (mother). She has three older siblings named Shkera Griner, Decarlo Griner, and Pier Griner.
Source: @instagram.com/brittneyyevettegriner
Regarding Griner’s education, she attended Nimitz High School in Houston.
Brittney Griner Career Timeline
- Brittney Griner kicks off her career playing varsity volleyball as a freshman and working with a Nimitz football coach.
- She led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game during her senior year, where Nimitz lost 52-43 to Mansfield Summit High School.
- She dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior and recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings on 11th November 2008.
- She was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game after which she recorded Baylor’s first triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots.
- She became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game, and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game in January 2010.
- Then she entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16, and set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49-33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas on 22nd March.
Source: @instagram.com/brittneyyevettegriner
- She reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70-50, and was named an AP Second Team All-American.
- She received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game and averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game in her junior season.
- Also, she was named AP Player of the Year and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.
- She led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80-61 over Notre Dame on 3rd April 2012, and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins.
- Later she decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S after winning the championship on 3rd April 2012 after which her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.
Professional career
WNBA
- Brittney Griner was selected as the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA Draft where she equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker’s career total in her debut on 27th May 2013 against Chicago Sky.
- She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and the first to do so twice in one game but, she missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury.
- She had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular-season game win against the Tulsa Shock on 29th June 2014 and became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93-68, at Staples Center on 24th August of the following year.
- In the 2015 season, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career-high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in 1998 season.
- Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16-18 in the 2016 season as well as she had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks.
- Later she re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired on 12th March 2017 and scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98-90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever on 7th June 2017.
- She would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.
- She played all 34 games for the third time in her career in 2018 and was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance.
- Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career in 2018 and was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. She would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance in 2019 whereas she scored a season-high 34 points in a 94-86 loss to the Chicago Sky on 25th August 2019.
- The season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. After 12 games played, it was announced that Griner had to leave the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons. Without Brittney, the Mercury finished 13-9 as the number 5 seed.
- Furthermore, she spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. National Team as part of its European training tour in September 2011 where she averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the USA team in Europe.
- She was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.
- She played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101-72 in the final in 2016.
- She was selected for her second Olympics in 2021.
- Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 off-seasons, winning back-to-back championships.
- Later she re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016-17 off-season in August 2016 and re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017-2018 off-season in 2017.
- However, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018-2019 off-season 2018.
Source: @instagram.com/brittneyyevettegriner
Awards and Achievements
- WNBA champion (2014)
- 7× WNBA All-Star (2013-2015, 2017-2019, 2021)
- 2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)
- 8× WNBA blocks leader (2013-2019, 2021)
- WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)
- 3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)
- 3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)
- 2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)
- 3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)
- 4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)
- WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)
- WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)
- 3× Russian National League champion (2015-2017)
- 4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- Russian Cup winner (2017)
- NCAA champion (2012)
- NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)
- AP Player of the Year (2012)
- Honda Sports Award (2012)
- 2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)
- 2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)
- Second-team All-American – AP (2010)
- 3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011-2013)
- 4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010-2013)
- McDonald’s All-American (2009)
- WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Brittney Griner Wife and Sexuality: Is She Lesbian?
Brittney Griner is a married woman. She tied a knot to a woman named Cherelle Watson, aka Cherelle T. Griner in 2021. In one of her Insta posts, Brittney revealed that she met her wife when they were both at Baylor University. The pair recently celebrated their fourth anniversary. Griner previously announced her engagement to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson on 14th August 2014. But, they were arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct on 22nd April 2015 after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban Phoenix, Arizona home in Goodyear. Both had sustained some injuries. Later, the pair married the following month on 8th May 2015 in Phoenix. They announced on 4th June 2015 that Johnson was pregnant with twins, conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization. The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress; the annulment was denied. Johnson gave birth to twin girls on 12th October 2015, 16 weeks premature. Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson. The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016. Reflecting on her sexual orientation, she is a lesbian.
Source: @instagram.com/brittneyyevettegriner
How much is Brittney Griner’s Net worth?
Brittney Griner is a versatile woman who has a net worth of $5 million as of 2022. She has played for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg for several years. Griner is set to earn about $228,000 with Mercury in the 2022 season. Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete. In addition, her major source of income is from her basketball playing career and she is happy and satisfied with the profession she is in.
What is the Height of Brittney Griner?
Brittney Griner stands at a tall height of 6 ft 9 in or 206 cm with a balanced bodyweight of 93 kg or 205 lbs. She has dark brown hair and eyes color. Moreover, Griner has an athletic body build with 30-25-35 inches of body measurement. She has also inked several tattoos on her body which has attracted a lot of people towards her.
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