WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle Griner, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The petition was filed Thursday in Fulton County, Georgia, and lists July 24 as the date of separation. Griner cited the marriage as “irretrievably broken.” The couple, who share one child, a son named Bash born in July 2024, married in 2019. Griner is seeking joint legal custody, with the court to determine any child support.
Cherelle Griner, an attorney, stood firmly by her wife throughout one of the most difficult chapters of Brittney Griner’s life. In February 2022, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and longtime Phoenix Mercury center was detained at a Russian airport after authorities said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She was later convicted and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.
Cherelle became one of the most visible and persistent advocates for her wife’s release. While Brittney spent roughly 10 months in Russian custody — including time in a labor camp — Cherelle worked publicly and privately to keep pressure on U.S. officials, meeting with the Biden administration and repeatedly calling for action to bring her home. The couple remained together through the ordeal. Brittney Griner was freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange in December 2022.
In later interviews and her memoir, Brittney Griner has described how the separation tested the marriage. After receiving the nine-year sentence, she wrote to Cherelle offering an “out,” saying she understood if her wife could not wait that long. Cherelle rejected the idea outright, telling her never to say it again. That steadfast support became a defining public element of their relationship during the crisis.
No detailed reasons for the divorce beyond the legal phrase “irretrievably broken” appear in the filing, and neither side has issued a public statement. The couple’s relationship had previously been portrayed as resilient through career pressures, the high-profile detention, and the arrival of their son.
Griner, a former Baylor University standout and multiple-time All-Star, has continued her professional career since returning from Russia. Details of any further legal proceedings or settlements have not been made public.
