Brittney Griner is an American basketball player who plays for the Women’s National Basketball Association named Phoenix Mercury. Though the basketball player is a double Olympic medalist, won gold in Rio Olympics in 2016 and Tokyo Olympics in 2020, she got sentenced in Russia.
She served in the prison of one of Russia’s penal colonies in Mordovia, 210 miles east of Moscow, in 2022. In all this, her parents were all by her side, giving her support. Who are Brittney Griner’s parents? Where are they now? What happened to Brittney Griner? Is she finally released? Let us find out!
Fortunately, the basketball player Brittney spent just around four months in a Russian penal colony before American President Joe Biden helped to get her back through a swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Thankfully, this means that she reunites with her family members, who have been loving and supportive in all the difficult times.
Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, fought hard to bring her back home. Also, the athlete’s parents, Raymond and Sandra Griner, have also been a pillar of strength and support. So, here is what we know about Brittney Griner’s parents.
Who is Brittney Griner?
Brittney Yevette Griner was born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas, US. She is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Brittney Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston, Texas.
Though she was a basketball player throughout high school, she also played Varsity volleyball as a freshman. Interestingly, she practiced with the boy’s basketball team and worked with a Nimitz football coach to increase her leg strength for learning to dunk.
She played college basketball at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. Griner made an all-time season record with 223 blocked shots. This made her with greatest shot blocker in women’s basketball history.
Professionally, Phoenix Mercury selected Griner in their first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft and won the 2014 WNBA championship. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Griner has an athletic build with a 93 kgs weight. She wears men’s US size 17 shoes and has an arm span of 87.5 inches.
A brief about her career
She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 2016 (Rio) and 2020 (Tokyo) and a six-time WNBA All-star. Also, she is a two-time FIBA Women’s World Cup winner with the USA team in 2014 and 2018.
On 17th February 2022, Griner was detained and arrested on smuggling charges by Russian customs officers. They said she had less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil in her luggage. At that time, she was in Russia for Russian Premiere League during the WNBA off-season.
On July 1, her trial started, and she pleaded guilty to the charges put on her. Unfortunately, on August 4, she got sentenced to nine years imprisonment. Further, in November same year, the officials transferred her to the Russian Penal Colony IK-2. According to US Officials, she was ”wrongfully detained”. Finally, on December 8, 2022, they released Griner in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Full name: Brittney Yevette Griner
Born on: October 18, 1990
Age: 32 years
Native place: Houston, Texas, US
Profession: American basket player, currently with Phoenix Mercury
Height: 6 feet 9 inches
Weight: 93 kgs, 205 lbs
High School: Nimitz High School, Texas, US
College: Baylor College (2009-2013)
Medals: 2 gold in the Olympics and 2 gold in World Cup
Started career in 2013
Who are Brittney Griner’s parents?
Brittney Griner has been one of the most incredible players of the WNBA since she entered the league in 2013. Her parents, Raymond and Sandra, have supported her and recognized her athletic talent at a very young age.
Brittney’s father is Raymond Griner, a retired deputy sheriff.
He served in Vietnam as military personnel for two years. Later, he returned to the US and worked in the sheriff’s office of Harris County in Texas. There he spent around 30 years before retiring. Raymond’s nationality is American, and their ethnicity is African American.
Full name: Raymond Griner
Nickname: Raymond
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Nationality: American
Religion: Christianity
Marital status: Married
Wife: Sandra Griner
Children: DeCarlo, Shekera, Pier, and Brittney Griner
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
Weight: 74 kg
Net Worth: $1 million
Career: retired Deputy sheriff and veteran military in Vietnam
Brittney’s mother, Sandra Griner, is a housewife.
We don’t know her exact background, but she is around 55. Brittney opened up about her close relationship with her mom in 2013 in an ESPN profile of the WNBA star. She mentioned that she enjoyed sewing with her mother at a young age. Also, Brittney stated that her mother has always supported her and was the number one woman in her life.
Full name: Sandra Griner
Nickname: Sandra
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White
Nationality: American
Religion: Christianity
Marital status: Married
Husband: Raymond Griner
Children: Decarlo, Shekera, Pier, and Brittney Griner
Famous as: Brittney Griner’s mother
Career: housewife, background not known
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Sandra and Raymond have four kids together; Brittney is the youngest. Brittney has one brother named DeCarlo and sisters named Shekera and Pier. In 2015, she shared a throwback picture of her childhood with the entire family on Instagram.
Interestingly, Brittney Griner’s parents are not as tall as the athlete. While Raymond is 6 feet 2 inches tall, and Sandra is 5 feet 6 inches tall. Brittney’s sister’s height is 5 feet 8 inches. On the other hand, Brittney is 6 feet 9 inches and is the tallest player in the history of the WNBA.
This is one of the reasons that Griner has achieved so much in her basketball career and made records in blocks. She has stayed with the Phoenix Mercury her entire career and got the name of All-Star eight times. Also, she led the league in 2017 and 2019, scoring the highest.
Brittney Griner’s sexual orientation and wife
On February 11, 2013, Griner publicly revealed she was a lesbian. Also, she mentioned that she was bullied in her youth. Additionally, she mentioned that ”it is hard” just to be different and bigger than others. She said that she is passionate about working with children who get bullied, especially of the LGBT community.
Subsequently, she published her memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off The Basketball Court. Later, she signed an endorsement with Nike as an openly gay athlete.
Griner mentioned that initially, her father did not accept her sexuality, and that was a pretty rough phase for her. As Raymond knew that his daughter was not an ordinary teenager, he struggled to accept her sexuality. Brittney Gear’s wife is Cherelle Watson, with whom she got engaged in 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who is Brittney Griner?
Ans. Brittney Griner is an American basketball player who plays for the Women’s National Basketball Association named Phoenix Mercury.
Q2. Who is Brittney Griner’s father?
Ans. Her father, Raymond Griner, is a veteran military for Vietnam and worked as a Deputy Shariff for three decades.
Q3. Who is Brittney’s mother?
Ans. Her mom is Sandra Griner, who is a housewife.
Q4. How many children did Brittney Griner’s parents have?
Ans. They had four children together, and Brittney is the youngest. Rest three are Decarlo, Shekera, and Pier.
Q5. How tall are the athlete’s parents?
Ans. Raymond is 6 feet 2 inches tall, while their mother is 5 feet 6 inches tall.
Conclusion
Brittney Griner is a popular American basketball player. Unfortunately, her ride was not smooth. As a child she faced humiliation due to her appearance and sexuality. Her dad went from rejecting her initially to finally supporting her. Recently, she got detained in a Russian penal colony by customs officials. Griner’s parents and wife strengthened her in her “gut-wrenching” imprisonment in a foreign country. Thankfully, she got released in December 2022.
Undoubtedly, her parents have always supported their daughter in making her career the way it is now. Raymond and Sandra Griner have been her pillars of strength during tough times.
