'He's doing great': Brittney Griner sad to leave son for Olympics
The Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner welcomed a son with wife Cherelle Griner on July 8.
Ahead of the WNBA All-Star game at Footprint Center, Griner said that her son is doing really well.
“He's doing great. He's doing really good,” Griner said.
Griner is about to have to leave her son. As a part of the Olympic team, she heads to London for the team's one and only exhibition game next week. Team USA takes on Germany Tuesday, July 23.
“It's gonna be hard leaving him right now. But you know, he’ll understand a little bit later on,” Griner said. “He’s definitely gonna group in a sports house.”
Her Mercury and Team USA teammate Taurasi is married to former teammate Penny Taylor. They have two children together, giving her ample credibility to give new-parent Griner welcomed advice. But when asked what she would tell Griner, Taurasi said her longtime teammate doesn’t need any help.
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“She doesn’t need any advice,” Taurasi said ahead of tonight’s game. “BG is the kindest, warm-hearted, gentle, caring person I've ever been around. I think that's why you see the love and admiration for her everywhere she goes, because that's who she is.”
“Aside from being the best post player in the world, and the most dominant player in our league, she's the best teammate and the best friend that you can have.”
Griner said that having the All-Star weekend in Phoenix has been a blessing in disguise. Even though the events, crowds and attention could have overwhelmed the new parent, it’s actually brought in welcomed help. Griner said her son is “surrounded by all the family that is in town.”
“It’s kind of perfect timing and everything, just having everybody here,” she said.
Because of the upcoming game against Germany and today’s All-Star game being their only matchup prior to Olympic pool play, both competitors — Team USA and Team WNBA — are taking the event seriously.
“I think we're looking at it as preparation for what's to come in Paris. Personally, I know that the end is way closer than the beginning,” Taurasi said. “So, I just tried to enjoy every single moment in the locker room, at practice, on the bus and tonight's gonna be no different.”
The WNBA All-Star game tips off at Footprint Center at 5:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diana Taurasi has no parenting advice for teammate Brittney Griner