The US basketball star Brittney Griner is famous for her basketball career and campaigns. She has supported the LGBTQIA+ community and helped the children open up about their thoughts and sexuality. This led to fans being curious and asking if Brittney Griner gay in real life. On the other hand, she became a pawn in a political battle between the US and Russia. During her trip to Russia, she met with an unusual incident that led her to become a high-profile hostage. However, her fans continued to support her and have been fighting for her justice. But finally, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. Keep reading to know more.
Early Life & Education
Born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Brittney Griner is the daughter of Sandra Griner and Raymond Grinner, Vietnam War veteran and Harris County, deputy sheriff. She has three siblings, D, Shkera, and Pier. During her freshman year, Griner enrolled in Nimitz High School and had a knack for basketball and varsity volleyball. In her sophomore year, Griner practiced and trained with the boys’ basketball team and the Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength. She later shared her dunks video on YouTube. It was later watched more than 6.6 million times. It led her to meet with Shaquille O’Neal.
High School Records
During her senior year, Brittney Griner led her school girls’ team to the basketball state championship game. Unfortunately, she lost the game to Mansfield Summit High School. But Griner soon became the star player of the tournament. She dunked 52 times in 32 games. Griner set a single-game record, leading Houston mayor Bill White to declare May 7, 2009, as Brittney Griner Day. She made another record in a match against Houston Alief Hastings a year ago. In that game, she recorded 25 blocks, setting as the first female with such a great record in the high school game.
College Records
During her college time, she set another record. In a basketball game at Baylor University in Waco, Texans, her 223 blocked shots established her as the greatest shot blocker in women’s basketball history and also set the all-time single-season record. In January 2010, Griner became the seventh player in the women’s college basketball game to dunk during the match in a lopsided 99-18 win against Texas State University.
On March 22, 2010, Griner set an NCAA tournament record. She won 49-33 against the Georgetown Hoyas with 14 blocked shots. Griner received First Team All-American honors during a sophomore run by gaining 23 points a game. She excelled in her college career and won many games by setting up records. After winning the championship, Griner withdrew her candidacy. But a month later, she broke her wrist while riding her skateboard.
Griner Was Forced Out Of The Game
In March 2010, Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle and Griner were battling for the same position. However, Barncastle made a foul, so Griner took two steps forward and charged a right-handed roundhouse punch, breaking her opponent’s nose. Because of this, the company expelled both of them from the game. But later, Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey demanded another one-game suspension, which is mandatory by NCAA rules.
Brittney Griner Career
In 2013, Griner was the first pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA draft. She flourished in her rookie season and became the most dominant defensive force in the league. Soon she became the third WNBA player to dunk twice in a game. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stated in April 2013 that he wanted to see Griner in NBA. But later, nothing was heard about it. In the 2014 season, she improved her game and set a WNBA record. However, her career met a setback in 2015.
Due to her domestic violence case, she met with suspension. But the year became the most prolific defensive season in the history of the WNBA. She again set a record despite dealing with her miserable personal life. She again returned with a bang in 2016 and recorded the sixth triple-double to win against the Atlanta Dream with 27 points, 10 blocks, and 10 rebounds. Once her contract expired in 2017, she signed a multi-year deal with the Mercury. It turned out to be the best season of her career as she broke her record.
Overseas Match
In the WNBA off-season, Griner signed a four-month contract with the WCBA to play for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. There she made $600,000, 12 times the amount she made with the Mercury. In her 2015-16 off-seasons, she played in Russia and won back-to-back championships. Later that year, she signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg. She played for them for almost four years.
Griner Became A Part Of The National Team
During her European training tour in September 2011, Griner was trained under coach Geno Auriemma for the US national team. Back then, she was the only college player in the group and ended up becoming a part of the Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster. Griner was just 22 when she made it to the Olympics. But she drew her name off to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family issues. Later she earned her first Olympic gold medal by beating Spain 101-72 in the final. Griner again won the gold medal in her second Olympics in 2021.
Brittney Griner Personal Life
Is Brittney Griner Gay?
There’s no denying that Griner is the greatest female basketball player. However, she addressed her sexuality in her 2013’s interview with SI.com. Griner publicly accepted that she was a lesbian. The basketball player revealed in the interview that children of her age bullied her as a child. Griner stated it was hard to deal with such remarks because of your size, sexuality, and everything. She also mentioned that her father never accepted this and forced her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks. Griner was featured on the ESPN Magazine cover in 2013. But she appeared in “The Taboo Issue” holding a snake, which was her favorite animal.
Griner Engaged In Domestic Violence Case
Griner engaged with her fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson on August 14, 2014. However, the couple was arrested on April 22, 2015, as they were charged with disorderly conduct after police reached their home in Phoenix, Arizona, to calm down the fight between them. Both appeared injured, and despite that, they married the following month. But because of their arrest, both were suspended for seven games. Later Griner pleaded guilty to both assault and disorderly conduct charges. She then took 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.
Brittney’s Bad Temper Led To Divorce
A couple of months after their marriage, the couple revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins. With the help of Vitro fertilization, they got a chance to extend their family. However, the following day, Griner filed for divorce, citing coercion and fraud. But it was denied, and Johnson gave birth to their premature twin girls.
However, Griner had other plans. But later, the court forced her to provide financial support to Johnson and her children. The couple finally divorced in June 2016. Griner soon became involved in her championship games and then met Cherelle Watson. Griner engaged in August 2018 and married the following year. Later Watson changed her last name to Griner.
Griner Nine Years Imprisonment
On February 17, 2022, while Griner was traveling, she got arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport for carrying vaporizer cartridges. In Arizona, the doctor prescribed medical cannabis, which was illegal in Russia. Some US officials expressed that Russia was using her as leverage in response to Russia and Ukraine war. While many officials stated that she did no crime, it would be difficult to get her release, especially because of the strained relationship between US and Russia.
In March 2022, the Russian state news agency TASS reported that the court extended Griner’s detention period until May 19. But US State Department believed she was wrongfully detained. So they decided to follow a more aggressive approach to pressure the Russian government to release her. However, Griner’s Russian attorney Alexander Boykov revealed that the short detention period meant for a speedy trial. Later on May 15, the report suggested that US and Russia were considering prisoner swaps. In exchange for Griner, they asked for the international illegal arms dealer Viktor Bout.
However, things turned drastic as Griner became the political pawn between the two rival countries. Her wife also addressed this issue in an interview and later enlisted the help of Bring Our Families Home. On November 17, they finally disclosed her location, which remained under wraps for so many months. She transferred to IK-2, a female penal colony. After spending a month there, Griner was finally released by Russia on December 8, 2022, in exchange for The Merchant Of Death arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Brittney Griner Net Worth
Her net worth has estimated at around $5 million. She has amassed millions through her basketball skills. WNBA played a prominent part in her life in securing such an income. She also played for different countries in the off-season. But she had to pay child support back then to support her kids with her former wife. Despite this, she is striking in her career.
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