[1] She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team[2] and a six-time WNBA All-Star. Brittney Yevette Griner is her full birth name. She was recently detained in Russia over illegal drugs. Brittney Griner Parents Name is Sandra Griner (Mother) and Raymond Griner (Father). Trained by the Soviet military as a linguist, Bout began acquiring Soviet military transport planes and loaded them up with weapons. Brittney Griner parents Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player with the Women's National Basketball Association's Phoenix Mercury. Brittney Griner is the last child of the family. In fact, Brittney 's own father - Ray, was a Vietnam War veteran - initially did not show a lot of support for her after she came out as gay. Kon Hai Alakh Pandey aka Physics Wallah Wife Shivani Dubey? *WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared at the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards on Saturday where she called on fans to "keep fighting" for the Americans . Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson ended their brief marriage last year, but after Johnson found out she was pregnant. Terry Flenorys Kids: Who Is His Son and Does He Have a Daughter? Raymond Griner is an American Military Veteran, who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. [94][95], In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, "People tell me I'm going to break the barrier and trailblaze. She is the lone NCAA athlete to have scored 2,000 points and blocked 500 shots. Her mother is well educated but has no record of places of work. READ ALSO: Who is Jordan Spieth sister Ellie Spieth? [56] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Brittney Griners Parents, wife, teammates, and coaches have all called for her to be brought back to the US. Griner's lawyer said the Russians were "won over" by the American WNBA superstar. [18], Griner was born October 18, 1990, in Houston,[19] the daughter of Raymond Griner, a Harris County deputy sheriff[20] and two-tour Vietnam War veteran,[21] and Sandra Griner. American basketball star Brittney Griner has been released after nearly 10 months in Russian custody, as part of a long-rumoured prisoner exchange brokered by officials in Washington and Moscow. On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired. She hails from Houston, Texas, and her zodiac sign is Libra. In the year 2013, the pair met and started . PHOENIX - Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall with an 88-inch wingspan and wearing men's size 17 shoes, Brittney Griner is 200 pounds of talent. At 205 centimetres tall and with two Olympic gold medals under her belt, Ms Griner or "BG" as she is known to basketball fans is one of the most recognisable figures in American basketball. Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player with the Phoenix Mercury of the Womens National Basketball Association. [69][70], In the 201415 and 201516 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.[71][72]. [84] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks. Brittney Griner Wiki, Bio Brittney Griner was born on 17 October 1990 and belongs to Houston, Texas. She is a basketball player who currently plays with the Phoenix Mercury team. On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women's Basketball Championship, 8061 over Notre Dame. The 31-year-old, who measures 6ft 9 in height, plays for Phoenix Mercury, a team based in Phoenix, Arizona. [67] She was named as the MVP of the 2014 WCBA All-Star Game. Raymond Griner was born in the late 1950s, he is over 65 years, but his real date of birth and place of birth have not been made public. . Griner later won gold medals with the U.S. women's national basketball team in 2016 and 2021. [78] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. The 32-year-old disappeared on 17 February - just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine - as she was passing through Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. Initially, US authorities and representatives for Griner were largely silent, other than to say they were working to bring her home. Raymond Griner even stopped his daughter from inviting friends over after she came out.The tension forced Brittney Griner to move out of her own house in the second year of her college. Brittney Griner is a popular American professional basketball player, Brittney Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball . One day after Glory Johnson announced her pregnancy, wife Brittney Griner has moved to annul their 28-day marriage, PEOPLE has confirmed. [99] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as "menswear" for Nike. This is the most important thing and means the most to me because shes my baby.". Griner was recently part of the US Womens Olympic Team, where she helped lead them to victory at the 2016 Summer Olympics. [16] US officials stated that she was "wrongfully detained". Her father was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served two tours of duty as a US Marine, and he later became a police officer in Houston. [120][121] In May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being "wrongfully detained". A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp. "At no stage was Brittney pressured to undertake the fertility process," Johnson's statement said, in opposition to Griner's claim that she did not know how long Johnson had been pregnant. Whelan was jailed for 16 years on espionage charges slammed as a "set-up" by Washington. "If she were Steph Curry or LeBron James, she wouldn't be over there at all because she'd be making enough money," Ms Spruill said. The future WNBA star was born on 18 October 1990 to Raymond and Sandra Griner in Texas. There are multiple parking options available for those looking to attend the Houston Rodeo. Raymond Griner is a Military Veteran. Brittney Griner with her wife Cherelle Griner, Russia frees US basketball star in prisoner swap, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus. I knew she was going to come home. Brittney Griner is gonna try the marriage thing again -- the WNBA star just proposed to her longtime girlfriend with a fat ring . "[98], In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. Griner, who is considered one of the best players in the world, was detained in February at an airport near Moscow when vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? [91], She was also named one of ESPNW's Impact 25 in 2014. She has 3 older siblings. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Customs Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil. "I had faith she was going to come home," Raymond Griner told us. But it was too late for Griner, who is believed to have entered Russia one week earlier, on 17 February, though the timing remains unclear. [94] She later wrote a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014. Brittney Griner sentenced. Chidiebube has been writing and editing articles on movies, entertainment and other juicy things for several years. Police said she was carrying snuff boxes containing cannabis oil. She hates it when people label her a heterosexual. Griner scored 17 points in the win. American basketball star Brittney Griner could face up to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to drug possession charges at a Russian court. Brittney Griner, 32, re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury one year after as she was arrested and thrown into a . Deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow, Elizabeth Rood, said she spoke to Griner who is "eating well, able to read books" and under the circumstances is "doing well". In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 201617 off-season. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys' basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk. The double Olympic gold winner and US basketball ace, hailed as an American hero, faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug possession charges in Russia. It has also been suggested Griner could be traded alongside other US citizens believed to be "wrongly detained" by Moscow - including former marine, Paul Whelan. The US Womens Basketball Association (WNBA) star was arrested in February before boarding a flight to the US at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. For most, it's a way to boost their income: WNBA players receive roughly five times more in Russia than they do in the US. Griner was arrested in February for possession of cannabis oil By Barbara Plett Usher BBC State Department correspondent Russia's detention of the basketball star and Olympic champion Brittney. Brittney Yevette Griner (/ranr/; born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). According to her, she initially revealed her sexuality to her mother, Sandra Griner, during her freshman year of high school, but kept it a secret from her father, Raymond Briner, until her senior year, when he booted her out of the family. Semper Fi. Her father was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served two tours of duty as a US Marine, and he later became a police officer in Houston. Raymond Griner is an American marine and Deputy sheriff. "[82] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time WNBA All-Star, was arrested last month at a Moscow airport after authorities allegedly found . Brittney Griners mother, Sandra Griner, is a full housewife. Two of the staples of Brittney's vocabulary are "sir" and "ma'am." A strong selling. Griner was then ejected from the game. HOUSTON - With Houstonian Brittney Griner safely out of Russia after being detained there for nearly 10 months, her father is breathing a huge sigh of relief. Under Russian law, Griner's guilty plea was only an admission of guilt, and did not end her trial; the court still had to prove there was sufficient evidence she committed the crime independent of her guilty plea. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything." Born on October 18, her zodiac sign is Libra and her nationality is American. Griner's counterparts in the men's league make more than 200 times the maximum WNBA salary. Brittney was born to father Raymond and mother Sandra Griner. Tamryn Spruill, a sports journalist who is writing a book on the WNBA and Griner's contributions to the league, told the BBC earlier this year that her decision was groundbreaking for the sport. [85] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women's dunks leader. Baylor Star Open To Mavericks Owner's Offer", "Mercury rout Shock behind Griner's block party", "Watch Brittney Griner slam down the first dunk in WNBA playoff history", "Diana Taurasi and Mercury sweep to WNBA title over Sky", "Brittney Griner had a record-setting 11 blocks in the opening game of the WNBA playoffs", "Griner's Triple-Double Helps Mercury Beat Dream 9587", "Griner signs new multiyear deal with Mercury", "Brittney Griner scores career-high 38 points to lift Mercury to win over Fever", "Griner, Taurasi lead Mercury over Dream 10495", "Sky pull away late to beat Mercury 9486", "Mercury's Brittney Griner Leaves WNBA Bubble for Personal Reasons", "Brittney Griner's Impact Is Clear as W.N.B.A. Her father is Mercy Bassey Johnson and her mother is Bassey Johson Udofot. [42], After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team. But the basketball legend has more to her story. Both had sustained some injuries. Raymond Griner is a Marine veteran who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, while Brittney Griners mother, Sandra Griner, is a full-time housewife. She grew up in a strict household and later wrote in her autobiography that her father had "so many damn rules" designed to keep her safe and "on the right path". In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 9686, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. He says he is very thankful for everything President Biden and his staff did to get Brittney out of Russia. In 2018, she became engaged to Cherelle Watson. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 4933 win against the Georgetown Hoyas. [105][106] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix. Who Is Jett Hamilton Roberts Jill Scotts Son? After leading the Nimitz Cougars to a state championship game in her senior year - during which she dunked the ball a record 52 times in 32 games - she was named to the illustrious Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American team, and scored 20 points in its showpiece game. "I would just tell him Id like to thank him for all of his time and effort and his administration for what theyve done to get her back home because without him they couldnt have done it," Raymond Griner said. ", "What Brittney Griner faces in Russian prison camps", "California woman back home after Russian imprisonment", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brittney_Griner&oldid=1142299253, 4 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (20102013), 2009WBCA High School Coaches' All-America Team, 2012WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, 2013WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, 2014FIBA World Championship All-Star Five, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:00. She completed her high school education from Nimitz School in Huston. So, her age is 31 years. Brittney's father is Raymond Griner and he's a retired deputy sheriff. Brittany's parents were shocked when she revealed her secret, believing that she had come out as a lesbian. [27] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.[25] In her 200809 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record. Brittney Griner's experience at a Russian penal colony is looking increasingly bleak. Who is Brittney Griner and why has she been detained in Russia? Well, she grew up along with her four siblings which include her three sisters and a brother. [46] She was a dominant defensive force in the league over the season, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. and Euroleague . But after seeing Brittney Glory felt different. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 1618. Griner has been detained in Moscow since February after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Trials in Russia result in convictions in 99% of cases, and acquittals must be approved by the government. Glad talk to her because I havent talked to her but twice since shes been gone," he told us. Still, the process of returning US citizens includes a court decision and a formal pardon from current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Speaks Out on WNBA Star's 9-Year Sentence: 'It Terrifies Me' Brittney Griner's 32nd Birthday in Russian Prison Was a 'Difficult Day,' Her Lawyers Say On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 9486 loss to the Chicago Sky. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle's nose. She grew up in a strict household and later wrote. When Raymond Griner got married to Sandra Griner, they expanded their family by giving birth to four children: three girls and a boy named Shkera Griner, Pier Griner, Brittney Griner, and Decarlo Griner. Brittney's father, Raymond Griner, is a retired sheriff, while her mother, Sandra, is a homemaker. She has been dubbed a "political pawn" amid speculation by Russian media that she could be swapped with Russian arms trader, Viktor Bout, nicknamed The Merchant of Death. Age, birthday, bio, job, Instagram and she said YES!! On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 9890 overtime win against the Indiana Fever. In 2016 and 2019, she renewed her contract with the Dallas Wings, formerly known as the Shock. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 10183. [90], The WNBA included Griner in The W25, a list of the best players of the league's first 25 years. Brittney Griner Ethnicity & Nationality Brittney Griner's ethnicity is Afro-American. The Truth About Selena Gomez and Chris Evans Dating Rumors. He is well-known as the father of Brittney Griner, who is an American Professional Basketball Player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Womens NBA. [43], Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team finalists roster.