by Megan MacWade
Social Media Design: Maggie Johnson
Brittney Griner was born on October 18, 1990 in Houston, Texas. She is the youngest of four children born to Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former US Marine and is now a Harris County Deputy Sheriff, while her mother has been a homemaker.
Griner attended high school in Texas – she attended Nimitz High school where she played basketball, helped by her 6’9 height.
Growing up, Griner was often bullied and mocked by other children in her school due to her height. She was always taller than other girls in her class, and it made other students target her regularly. Griner talks about feeling alone in her childhood due to her father wanting her to live inside “a glass box”, since her father knew their surroundings and did not want her to get hurt.
She identifies as a lesbian, which has also impacted her life growing up. Griner talks about how after coming out as a lesbian to her family, her father was not initially accepting. This complicated her relationship with him, especially since she is a self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl”. She came out in her freshman year of high school and her father announced he was not going to raise a gay girl, and forbade her from having any friends visit. Now, they have reconciled their relationship during her imprisonment. Her mother and siblings reacted completely differently to the news and accepted Griner’s sexuality.
In college, while attending Baylor University, she continued her successful basketball career on the Phoenix Mercury Team. She left college having received the accolades NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
She continued her successful basketball career on the Phoenix Mercury Team, after being drafted in 2013. In 2024, she re-signed with the team and is entering her 11th season with Phoenix. She is Mercury’s all-time leading rebounder (2,125) and is second in points (5,038).
Throughout her career she has received more honorable awards such as the 2014 FIBA World Cup ALL-Tournament Team, 2014 FIBA World Cup, 2016 Olympic Gold Medal, 2018 World Cup Medal game Player of the Game, 2018 FIBA World Cup, and 2020 Olympic Gold Medal.
However, during her career, Griner has made news headlines for committing multiple crimes. In 2015, a domestic violence and assault charge was brought against her.
Griner and her fiance at the time, Glory Johnson, were arrested after a fight turned physical in their home and police were called by Johnson’s sister. They were taken in on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct, but both were later released.
Both were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but neither pursued prosecution and the two received a seven-game suspension. They were married, but within a month of the incident, Griner filed for annulment after Johnson announced her pregnancy with their child.
One of her biggest crimes was her ordeal with the Russian government.
Griner was arrested on February 17, 2022 for bringing vape cartridges of cannabis into Russia. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian labor camp, but was eventually traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. She was released after 10 months in Russian captivity on December 8, 2022.
Coming up is the 2024 Olympics, where Brittney Griner is playing for Team USA after her detainment in Russia in 2022.
References
Brittney Griner stats, height, weight, position, draft status and more. WNBA. (n.d.). https://www.wnba.com/player/203398/brittney-griner
Brittney Griner. USA Basketball. (n.d.). https://www.usab.com/players/brittney-griner
Livingston, M. (2017, October 3). Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson, the WNBA and domestic violence in LGBT community. Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2479888-brittney-griner-glory-johnson-the-wnba-and-domestic-violence-in-lgbt-community#:~:text=Nearly%20nine%20months%20had%20passed,as%20punishment%20from%20the%20WNBA.
Muhonji, M. (2023, August 13). Who are Brittney Griner’s parents? meet Raymond and Sandra Griner. Legit.ng – Nigeria news. https://www.legit.ng/ask-legit/biographies/1548533-who-brittney-griners-parents-meet-raymond-sandra-griner/
Pekmic, A. (2022, December 26). “my dad wanted me to live inside a glass box, tucked safely away inside our house” – when Brittney Griner opened up on her struggles in school . Sportskeeda. https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/when-brittney-griner-opened-struggles-school-my-dad-wanted-live-inside-glass-box
Phoenix Mercury re-signs WNBA champion Brittney Griner. Phoenix Mercury. (2024, April 2). https://mercury.wnba.com/news/phoenix-mercury-re-signs-wnba-champion-brittney-griner/
Pirtle, K. (2015, April 23). WNBA player Brittney Griner, fiancee arrested after fight, five years after Griner’s infamous punch in Lubbock. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2015/04/23/wnba-player-brittney-griner-fiancee-arrested-after-fight-five-years-after/14980919007/
Republic, T. A. (2015, April 23). WNBA star Brittney Griner, fiancée arrested on assault allegations. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2015/04/23/brittney-griner-glory-johnson-arrested-assault-phoenix-mercury/26246719/
Sabreena Merchant and The Athletic Staff. (n.d.). Griner returning to Team USA for exhibitions. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5002678/2023/10/26/brittney-griner-usa-basketball-olympics/
Tempera, J. (2024, May 2). Brittney Griner’s parents: All about Raymond and Sandra Griner. Women’s Health Magazine. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a60672535/brittney-griner-parents/