Love and basketball. Brittney Griner is among the finest athletes within the WNBA — and he or she all the time has her sweetheart, Cherelle Griner, cheering her on from the sidelines.
The Olympic gold medalist and the instructor met as undergraduates at Baylor College in Texas whereas Brittney was making a reputation for herself as probably the greatest school basketball gamers of all time. They didn’t begin relationship till years later, nonetheless, once they reconnected after the athlete break up from her first spouse, Glory Johnson.
“I’ll always remember the day I met you at Baylor within the sub space!” Brittney wrote through Instagram in June 2020. “You tapped me on my shoulder and informed me I took your milkshake (nonetheless up for debate lol) and I used to be instantly blown away at your magnificence! You had no thought however I knew you had been the one for me child. You caught by my aspect on the lowest and on the highest!”
The Phoenix Mercury heart proposed to Cherelle in August 2018, and the duo tied the knot almost one yr later. Since then, the pair have repeatedly gushed over one another on social media, sharing snaps from holidays and commemorating their relationship milestones.
“On a regular basis with you is spectacular however once I get to have fun your life and all that you’re is simply breathtaking ❤️!” Brittney wrote through Instagram in July 2020 to have fun her partner’s birthday. “To many extra my love.”
In 2022, the couple turned the topic of worldwide information when the basketball star was detained in Russia on drug prices. Brittney was within the nation taking part in with the EuroLeague workforce UMMC Ekaterinburg through the WNBA offseason.
By the point the information broke in the US in March 2022, Brittney had already been detained for 2 weeks. Officers had been initially fearful that an aggressive response may damage her possibilities of a protected return amid Russia’s battle with Ukraine, however in Could 2022, the U.S. State Division stated that Russia had “wrongfully detained” the Texas native.
“It’s a fully unimaginable scenario for for BG,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert informed Time after the State Division’s reclassification. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not engaged on this in a roundabout way. It was a extremely constructive improvement for her case to be transferred into the a part of the State Division that’s referred to as the Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Once you get this designation of being detained, not below the perfect circumstances, they’ve proven success at getting individuals out.”
Cherelle, for her half, supported her spouse from afar, sharing movies on social media of Brittney’s time on the court docket. “Thanks to everybody who has reached out to me relating to my spouse’s protected return from Russia,” she wrote through Instagram in March 2022. “Your prayers and help are drastically appreciated. I really like my spouse wholeheartedly, so this message comes throughout one of many weakest moments of my life.”
In December 2022, Cherelle was a beaming sight on the White Home as President Joe Biden introduced that her spouse had been launched from Russian custody.
“After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held below insupportable circumstances, Brittney will quickly be again within the arms of her family members and he or she ought to have been there all alongside,” Biden stated throughout a press launch as Cherelle and Vice President Kamala Harris stood beside him.
“This can be a day we’ve labored in direction of for a very long time. We by no means stopped pushing for her launch,” he added.
Maintain scrolling for a glance again at Brittney and Cherelle’s full relationship timeline.
