Brittney Griner reveals wife Cherelle has given birth to baby boy as couple welcome first child 19 months since WNBA star’s release from Russian jail
Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle welcomed their first child together, 19 months after the WNBA star was released from a Russian penal colony.
The couple announced Cherelle, 32, was pregnant in April in a heartwarming Instagram post, featuring photos of the two holding hands alongside photos of their baby scans.
And three months later, Brittney has announced that their baby boy is here, and she admits that she is overjoyed to be a ‘pops’.
“I’m super excited,” she said when asked about the pregnancy in an interview with CBS Sports’ We Need To Talk. “Well, I mean, I guess I’ll just drop it… he’s here. Seven pounds, eight ounces. Yeah, that’s my husband!”
Griner had twins with his ex-wife and fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson in 2015, but the couple split a year later.
Brittney Griner (right) and wife Cherelle (left) have welcomed their first child together
Still, having another child with Cherelle has reminded the 33-year-old how great the feeling is.
“He’s amazing,” Griner continued. “They say the minute you see them, everything you thought mattered just goes out the window, and that’s literally what happens.
‘It’s a shame that I have to leave, but on the other hand he’ll understand.’
Brittney and Cherelle got engaged in 2018, but four years later, Cherelle was arrested at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities alleged she entered the country with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
Griner was held in a detention center near Moscow until November of that year, when she was transferred to an undisclosed prison.
Griner revealed the big news during WNBA All-Star week, admitting she’s “super excited”
The WNBA champion and her wife announced in April that they were expecting a baby
Griner was infamously released from a Russian penal colony just 19 months ago
She was then transferred to a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region about 300 miles (480 kilometers) southeast of Moscow, to serve her nine-year sentence on drug charges.
Ultimately, the 6-foot-1 WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist was released in December 2022 in a prisoner swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout after serving 10 months in prison.
Griner recently signed a new contract with Phoenix Mercury, her only WNBA team, in preparation for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
This weekend she will participate in the WNBA All-Star Game before the league is paused for the Olympics later this month.