Who Is Brittney Griner's Wife? All About Cherelle Griner

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been married to her wife, Cherelle Griner, since 2019. The two welcomed their first child, Bash, together in July 2024

WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, became parents in July 2024 with the birth of their son Bash.

The Phoenix Mercury player and her wife met while they were both students at Baylor University and got married in June 2019. In February 2022, Brittney was detained in Russia after a customs dog found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in the player’s bag. She was charged with smuggling “narcotic drugs” into the country, where marijuana is illegal, and received a 9-year sentence six months later.

Four months after she was initially sentenced, Brittney was released from Russian prison in December 2022 and reunited with Cherelle, who had been advocating on her behalf throughout the year.

“I had thought about that moment a thousand times, and I thought I would be full of tears," Cherelle told PEOPLE weeks later of her wife’s return. "But I was overwhelmingly happy. It was the first time I was able to finally exhale, and I'm like, 'Oh, thank God, this is such a great day.' "

So who is Brittney Griner’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Cherelle Griner and her relationship with the athlete.

She is a lawyer

Cherelle started law school at North Carolina Central University School of Law in August 2019, graduating in May 2022. She marked the special occasion with a series of posts on Instagram, sharing that not only did she graduate from one of the six HBCU law schools remaining, but she also finished with cum laude honors.

“This was no easy feat, and truthfully I didn’t even know if I could do it ??! Best believe, i’ll never doubt me again ????????,” she wrote on Instagram alongside shots of herself in her cap and gown.

She also shared a video of Brittney wearing NCCU apparel, which she borrowed for one of her graduation photos.

"This is clearly BG's sweatshirt! She has more school apparel than me! Lol I love the way you support my dreams babe," she wrote.

Brittney and Cherelle met in college

Before Brittney joined the WNBA, she played for Baylor University, where she met Cherelle, who was also a student. While Brittney graduated in 2013, Cherelle finished school a year later with a degree in political science and government.

“I will never forget the day I met you at Baylor in the sub area!” Brittney wrote on Instagram in celebration of the couple’s anniversary in June 2020. “You tapped me on my shoulder and told me I took your milkshake (still up for debate lol) and I was immediately blown away at your beauty!”

Brittney and Cherelle got married in 2019

After dating for years, Brittney proposed to Cherelle in August 2018. "I will never forget the first time I said I love you and I will never forget when you said YES!" the basketball star wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post.

The two wed on June 18, 2019, and have since posted sweet tributes to one another celebrating the special day.

"You over the years have also showed me what it takes to Really have a relationship that takes sacrifices, compassion, understanding, and communication!” Brittney wrote on Instagram a year after their wedding. “I have to give you the credit where it's due! You have opened my eyes to see me for who I truly am!"

Cherelle advocated for Brittney while she was in prison in Russia

After Brittney was detained and imprisoned in Russia, Cherelle was vocal about calling on the U.S. government and President Joe Biden to work on freeing her. She shared in May 2022 on Good Morning America that the two were able to communicate through exchanging letters.

"[Brittney] wrote me one letter and was like, 'Babe, I know you wanna go down right now but like, don't just yet,' " Cherelle said. "I won't go down until she's back ... Every single day matters for me to be sound, for me to be alert, for me to be attentive, to make sure that she comes back."

In August 2022, Brittney was sentenced to nine and a half years in Russian prison. The following month, Cherelle met with Biden in an effort to work on a way to bring her wife home.

After two months of silence since the verdict was announced, Cherelle spoke out on behalf of Brittney again during an interview with CBS Mornings.

"I'm like, in no world would I ever [have] thought, you know, our president and a foreign nation's president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife," Cherelle told Gayle King. "And so to me, as much as everybody's telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she's a hostage."

On Dec. 8, 2022, Brittney was released from prison after Biden agreed to a prisoner exchange for a convicted arms dealer.

"So over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration," Cherelle said during a press conference.

Brittney and Cherelle made a number of public appearances after she was freed

Following Brittney’s return, the couple attended a number of events together, including the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner in April, where they posed for a photo with first lady Jill Biden and the president.

A month later, Brittney and Cherelle made their Met Gala debut, where Brittney wore a long beige coat and matching pantsuit, and Cherelle donned a white strapless gown.

"This time last year, I was missing my wife, so to have her right here, to be in this moment — breathtaking," Cherelle told La La Anthony during Vogue’s red carpet livestream.

They welcomed their first child together in July 2024

In April 2024, Brittney and Cherelle announced they were expecting their first child together in a sweet joint post on Instagram.

“Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being ??,” Cherelle wrote in the caption alongside a photo of the couple holding hands over their baby’s ultrasound.

Three months later, Brittney revealed the couple had welcomed their son, Bash, on July 8, weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz.

"That's my man. He is amazing," Brittney told CBS Sports. "They said as soon as you see them, everything that you thought mattered just goes out the window. That's literally what happened."

She also added that she wants her baby boy to call her “pops” rather than “mom.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.