Brittney Griner and Wife Cherelle Will Soon Welcome Their First Child

Seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner gained global attention after being arrested at the Moscow airport in February 2022. Authorities took her into custody after allegedly discovering vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was in Russia playing basketball during the WNBA off-season. Brittney was then imprisoned for seven months and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August 2022.

On Dec. 8, 2022, the world learned that President Joe Biden had struck a deal with Russia to bring Brittney home.

Thankfully, Brittney's wife, Cherelle, stood firm in advocating for Brittney by keeping her story alive. Although that is now all in the past, it's something Brittney and her wife will never forget. Here's everything to know about Cherelle and their relationship.

The Phoenix Mercury center popped the question to Cherelle in 2018, and according to TMZ Sports, the two met while students together at Baylor. On Instagram, Brittney elaborated: "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! You had no idea but I knew you were the one for me, baby."

While an exact wedding date isn't known (it's believed they wed in 2019), it looks like the couple made things official since Cherelle changed her last name to Griner on the social media app.

Cherelle is a legal professional, according to her IG bio, which also states that she is a graduate of the North Carolina Central University of Law. She also worked as a teacher and graduated from Baylor University with a bachelor's degree in political science and government.

In a Nov. 1, 2022, appearance on The View, Cherelle made it a point to share her beliefs about Brittney's case. When asked about the possibility of Brittney's nine-year sentence being politically motivated, Cherelle shared that "there's no other way for [her] to see it except the fact that this is political."

"I understand being in the field of law that every state, every country has their own rules, but this is just absurd," Cherelle said. "The crime and the punishment is disproportionate at its finest ... There are people convicted of murder in Russia who [have] a sentence way less than B.G., and it just makes absolutely no sense to me."

Cherelle shared that Brittney has played basketball for Russia for years and "pays taxes" in the country. So, the fact that her contributions weren't considered for sentencing was very troubling.

"To see that the totality of the circumstances of who she is as a person was not taken into account when they rendered a decision, it makes me feel like this — at this point — has to be political," Cherelle said.

Cherelle shared her sadness with attendees at Glamour's 2022 Women of the Year Ceremony. In an emotional speech, Cherelle also said that while Brittney was trying to remain strong, "She's 100 percent not OK," per Daily Mail.

The outlet said that Cherelle requested for folks to write Brittney positive messages "using the hashtag #WeAreBG or go on weareBG.org."

Although it took some time for Brittney to settle in once she returned to the U.S. in December 2022, she and Cherelle seem to be doing much better these days. In April 2024, the couple shared some exciting news, revealing they are expecting their first child. They included ultrasound photos in the post alongside the caption, "Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being."

According to the Associated Press, The Russian Customs Service said, "The cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison." While the customs service said the person arrested played for the U.S. Women's team, it did not specifically say when she was arrested. Brittney's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, did not dispute the fact that Russian media identified the player as Brittney.

On March 5, Kagawa Colas released a statement saying, "We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA."

Brittney joined the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2015, and played through 2021. She is known there, which, at the time, prompted some to speculate whether or not her detainment would be used as leverage given what is happening with Russia and Ukraine.

Thankfully, in the Dec. 8, 2022, phone call President Biden had with Brittney, per CBS News, Cherelle was also present, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. It was then that Cherelle learned that Brittney would finally be coming home.