Brittney Griner

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Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019
No. 42 – Phoenix Mercury
Position	Center
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	October 18, 1990 (age 31) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Nimitz (Houston, Texas)
College	Baylor (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–present	Phoenix Mercury
2013–2014	Zhejiang Golden Bulls
2014–present	UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2014)8× WNBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021, 2022)2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)8× WNBA blocks leader (2013–2019, 2021)WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)3× Russian National League champion (2015–2017)4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)Russian Cup winner (2017)NCAA champion (2012)NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)AP Player of the Year (2012)Honda Sports Award (2012)2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)Second-team All-American – AP (2010)3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011–2013)4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010–2013)McDonald’s All-American (2009)WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
hideMedalsWomen’s basketballRepresenting the  United StatesOlympic Games2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam2020 TokyoTeamWorld Cup2014 Turkey2018 Spain

Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy at the WBCA Awards show in Denver Colorado 2012.

Brittney Yevette Griner (born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[1] She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.^[2][3] She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.^[4] In 2012, the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation’s No. 1 high school women’s basketball player by Rivals.com.^[5] She was selected to the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American basketball team.^[6] In 2012, she received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. In 2013, Griner signed an endorsement deal with Nike.^[7] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wears a men’s U.S. size 17 shoe and has an arm span of 87.5 in (222 cm).^[8][5]

Griner was on the United States women’s Olympic team in 2016, and led them to victory at the Rio Olympics.^[9] In 2020, Griner protested the Star Spangled Banner and stated she wouldn’t be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.^[10][11] In 2021, Griner was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

Griner is one of 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship.

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage. She had been entering Russia to play with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason. Her trial began on July 1, and she pled guilty to the charges.

Contents

• 1Early life and high school career
• 2College career
  • 2.1College statistics
• 3Professional career
  • 3.1WNBA
  • 3.2Overseas
• 4National team career
• 5Honors
• 6Personal life
  • 6.1Marriages and domestic violence case
  • 6.22022 arrest in Russia
• 7WNBA career statistics
  • 7.1Regular season
  • 7.2Playoffs
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Early life and high school career

Griner was born in Houston, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former Harris County sheriff and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three older siblings.^[12]

Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. In addition to lettering in basketball throughout high school, she played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk.^[13] During her junior season, a YouTube video featuring her dunks was watched more than 6.6 million times,^[14] leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal.^[15]

During her senior year, Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game, where Nimitz lost 52–43 to Mansfield Summit High School. Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.^[16] Houston mayor Bill White declared May 7, 2009, Brittney Griner Day.^[17] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.^[15] In her 2008–09 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record.^[18]

Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.^[19]

College career

Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a freshman, Griner’s 223 blocked shots set the all-time single-season record, establishing her as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball history.^[20] On December 16, 2009, Griner recorded Baylor’s first triple-double^[21] with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots. In January 2010, she became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game,^[22] and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game, making the second and third dunks of her college career^[23] in a lopsided 99–18 victory against Texas State University.

On March 3, 2010, Griner and Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle were battling for position near the lane. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle’s nose. Griner was then ejected from the game. Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey then imposed another one-game suspension in addition to the one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules.^[24][25]

Baylor entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, and knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49–33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas.^[26] In the Elite Eight, Baylor defeated Duke 51–48, and Griner blocked 9 shots, totaling 35 for the tournament, a new NCAA Women’s Tournament record. Duke’s Alison Bales had held the previous record of 30 blocks in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Tournament.^[27] Baylor reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70–50. Griner was named an AP Second Team All-American.^[28]

As a sophomore, Griner received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game, including a career-high 40 points against Green Bay in the Sweet 16.^[29]

In her junior season, Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.^[29] She blocked more shots than any other Division I women’s team that season.^[30] Griner was named AP Player of the Year^[31] and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.

On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80–61 over Notre Dame. Griner was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins, the most in NCAA history.^[32]

After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp.^[33]

Her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.^[34]

College statistics

†	NCAA championship
	NCAA record

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009–10	Baylor	35	35	33.5	.503	.000	.684	8.5	1.0	0.5	6.4	2.8	18.4
2010–11	Baylor	37	37	31.8	.543	.500	.777	7.8	1.4	0.4	4.6	2.1	23.0
2011–12†	Baylor	40	40	32.7	.609	.500	.800	9.5	1.6	0.6	5.2	1.7	23.2
2012–13	Baylor	36	36	30.3	.607	.000	.712	9.4	2.4	0.7	4.1	1.9	23.8
Career	148	148	32.0	.569	.400	.747	8.8	1.6	0.5	5.1	1.4	22.2

Year	Rebounds	Blocks	Points	Notable stats.
Total	Season high	Total	Season high	Total	Season high
2009–10	297	21	223	14	644	34	NCAA record for blocks in a season
2010–11	290	15	170	10	852	40
2011–12†	379	15	206	9	929	45
2012–13	339	15	149	7	858	50
Career	1,305	748	3,283	NCAA record for career blocks (men and women)

Professional career

WNBA

Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

The only international female players surpassing her height are the late Margo Dydek, at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Bernadett Határ, at 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.096 m), and Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m).

2013

In the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the first overall pick. Griner would flourish in her rookie season, being named a WNBA all-star and would be a dominant defensive force in the league, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against Chicago Sky, Griner equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker‘s career total.^[35] She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.^[36] Despite the All-Star vote, Griner missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, she was replaced by Tina Thompson.^[37]

In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the opportunity, but no offer to try out was extended by the team.^[38]

2014

In the 2014 season, Griner’s stats would improve, as she averaged 15.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.^[39] On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93–68, at Staples Center.^[40]

The 2014 season would be a historic season for the Mercury with the combination of Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree as the dominant Big 3 to carry the team plus the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Mercury finished 29–5, setting the WNBA record for most wins in a regular season. They made it all the way to the WNBA finals and swept the Chicago Sky 3 games to 0, to capture the Mercury’s third championship in franchise history.^[41] During the series, Griner set WNBA finals records in game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).Griner performing a layup in 2017

2015

In the 2015 season, despite missing the first seven games due to a suspension stemming from her domestic violence case, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in the 1998 season. Although the Mercury were playing without their all-star guard Diana Taurasi (who sat out the season to play overseas), the Mercury still made it to the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks (along with 18 points and 8 rebounds) in a game 1 victory against the Tulsa Shock, whom she also had 11 blocks against in a regular season game the year before.^[42] The Mercury advanced to the second round where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx who won the championship that year.

2016

In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury had a more successful playoff run. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16–18. During the season, Griner had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.^[43] With the WNBA’s new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league as they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the number 3 seeded New York Liberty, Griner had 22 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win. The Mercury advanced to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-5 series but would get swept 3–0.Griner and the Mercury guarding Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx in 2018

2017

On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.^[44] In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career thus far. On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.^[45] Griner would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury (replaced by Rebekkah Brunson), but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mercury finished with an 18–16 record as the number 5 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69, advancing to the second round. Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury were eliminated by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

2018

In 2018, Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. On August 18, 2018, Griner scored a season-high 33 points along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 104–95 victory over the Atlanta Dream.^[46] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year. The Mercury finished off the season 20–14 with the number 5 seed in the league.

In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83. Griner scored 17 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. Down 2–0, the Mercury came back to tie up the series 2–2. In game 5, the Mercury lost 94–84, ending their season.

2019

In 2019, Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky.^[47] By the end of the season, Griner led the league in the scoring for the second time in her career and would continue to lead the league in blocks for the seventh straight season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury were eliminated 105–76 by the Chicago Sky in the first round elimination game. Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

2020

The 2020 season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 12 games played, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons.^[48] Without Griner, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed. They would make it as far as the second round where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the elimination game.

Overseas

Griner plays overseas in the WNBA off-season.^[49] In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the Mercury.^[50] In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.^[51][52]

In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season.^[53] In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season,^[54] and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season.

National team career

In September 2011, Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. national team as part of its European training tour. Griner was the only college player in the group.^[55] She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the U.S. team in Europe.^[33]

Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.^[56] Excluding Griner, the average age on the finalists roster was approximately 30 years, while Griner was 22 years old at the time of the Olympics. Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.^[57]

In 2016, she played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and NCAA title, joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list.^[58]

Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.^[59]

Honors

Along with being selected as the number one high school player in the country by Rivals.com, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN‘s Rise magazine,^[60] and was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the 2009 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.^[60] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. She was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball^[61][62] and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.^[63]

She was the 2012 recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the best female NCAA Division I basketball player who embodies the “Spirit of Margaret Wade.”^[64] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. The award is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top Division I women’s player.^[65]

Among other accolades, Griner is credited with bringing the women’s game more attention due to her ability to dunk.^[66] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.^[67] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women’s dunks leader.^[68]

• 2009—WBCA High School Coaches’ All-America Team^[69]
• 2011—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2012—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2013—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2014—FIBA World Championship All-Star Five^[71]

In 2014, Griner was included as part of the Advocate’s annual “40 under 40” list.^[72]

She was also named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25 in 2014.^[73]

Personal life

In an interview with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner publicly came out as a lesbian.^[74] She also revealed in the interview that she was bullied as a child, explaining, “It’s hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” She said she is very passionate about working with children in order to bring attention to the issue of bullying, particularly against LGBT people.^[74] Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.^[75] She would later write a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.^[75][76]

In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”^[77] In 2013, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. She appeared in “The Taboo Issue”.^[78] She is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are “misunderstood”.^[79] She says, “You just have to look at it in a different way.”^[79]

Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete.^[80] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as “menswear” for Nike.^[79] Nike spokesman Brian Strong said of signing Griner, “We can’t get into specifics, but it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with her because she breaks the mold.”^[79]

In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. She made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida. Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.^[81] She said later during a media teleconference, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”^[82] She said she does not believe that the national anthem should be played at sporting events.^[83]

Marriages and domestic violence case

On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.^[84][85] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.^[86][87] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix.^[88][89] On May 15, 2015, the WNBA suspended Griner and Johnson for seven games each after Griner pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges. Griner was also required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.^[90]

On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins,^[91] conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization.^[92] The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress;^[93] the annulment was denied.^[94] Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature.^[95] Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson.^[95] The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.^[96]

Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018,^[97] and they married in June 2019.^[96] Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.^[96]

2022 arrest in Russia

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Security Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.^[98][99] Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine; former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas feared Griner could be used as a “high-profile hostage” for Russia.^[100][101] Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for her release.^[102][101] In an interview with CNN, California Democratic Representative John Garamendi said that it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia. He stated that although there might be negotiations to have her released, they would be stymied by the fact that diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States were strained because of the invasion of Ukraine.^[103]

In mid-March, Russian state broadcaster TASS reported that a Moscow court had extended the period of Griner’s detention while under investigation until May 19, with an official from the Russian Public Monitoring Commission stating that “the only objective problem has turned out to be the basketball player’s height. The beds in the cell are clearly intended for a person of lesser height.”^[104] On March 23, the United States Department of State stated that an American diplomatic official had been able to visit Griner in detention, reporting that she was “in good condition.”^[105]

In early May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being “wrongfully detained”, indicating a more aggressive approach towards securing her release.^[106] On May 13, CNN reported that Russian courts extended her pre-trial detention to June 18.^[107] Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Griner had been in detention for nearly three months.^[108] On May 15, it was reported that the United States and Russia would consider a prisoner swap, with Russia exchanging Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.^[109]

In May 2022, in her first public interview since Griner was detained, Griner’s wife Cherelle spoke to Good Morning America, where she called Griner a “political pawn”.^[110] Cherelle stated she has heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating, “I was grateful for the call, you say she’s top priority, but I wanna see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil. At this point I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”^[110]

In a closed-door hearing on June 27, a court in Khimki scheduled Griner’s trial to begin on July 1 and extended her detention by six months pending the outcome of her case, according to her lawyer, Alexander Boykov. She was photographed by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse arriving at the hearing; she had last been photographed at the May 13 hearing.^[111][112] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.^[113][114] On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden approved a possible trade for Griner and Paul Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout who has done 10 years on a 25-year sentence in the U.S.^[115]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

†	Denotes seasons in which Griner won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	27	27	25.9	.556	.000	.724	6.3	1.0	0.4	3.0°	1.7	14.5
2014†	Phoenix	34	34	30.7	.578	.000	.802	8.0	1.6	0.6	3.7°	1.9	15.6
2015	Phoenix	26	26	30.7	.565	.000	.773	8.1	1.3	0.3	4.0	2.1	15.1
2016	Phoenix	34	34	29.2	.548	.000	.831	6.5	1.0	0.3	3.1°	2.0	14.5
2017	Phoenix	26	26	31.5	.577	.000	.812	7.6	1.9	0.6	2.5°	2.4	21.9
2018	Phoenix	34	34	32.6	.544	.250	.800	7.7	2.1	0.5	2.6°	2.3	20.5
2019	Phoenix	31	31	32.8	.564	.333	.808	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0°	2.4	20.7°
2020	Phoenix	12	12	31.8	.497	.000	.809	7.5	3.0	0.3	1.8	2.5	17.7
2021	Phoenix	30	30	32.8	.575	.444	.846	9.5	2.7	0.4	1.9°	2.2	20.5
Career		254	254	30.9	.560	.353	.804	7.6	1.8	0.5	2.8	2.2	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	5	5	26.6	.533	.000	.556	6.4	0.2	0.2	0.8	1.6	10.6
2014†	Phoenix	7	7	31.0	.627	.000	.920	6.0	1.6	0.4	3.4°	1.8	16.7
2015	Phoenix	4	4	29.7	.583	.000	.885	8.0	1.3	0.7	4.5°	2.0	16.3
2016	Phoenix	5	5	31.2	.643	.000	.813	6.0	1.6	0.6	2.2	2.2	13.4
2017	Phoenix	5	5	36.8	.407	.000	.795	7.0	2.0	0.6	1.6	2.4	20.2
2018	Phoenix	7	7	36.4	.631	.000	.750	8.0	3.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	21.6
2019	Phoenix	1	1	13.8	.375	.000	.000	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	6.0
2021	Phoenix	11	11	35.1	.562	.000	.800	8.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	2.1	21.8
Career		45	45	32.5	.562	.000	.808	7.2	2.0	0.5	2.2	2.0	17.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders
• List of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

1. ^ “Brittney Griner”. Official Site of the WNBA. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
2. ^ “Houston rocket: Nimitz 6–6 sophomore “Brittney Griner is taking off”, SI.com, January 16, 2007.
3. ^ Griner, Brittney. “Baylor Women’s Basketball Player Bio”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
4. ^ Longman, Jeré (March 19, 2013). “Brittney Griner’s Final Season Draws Applause and Crowds”. The New York Times.
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b Jeff Fedotin, Griner named nation’s no. 1 player Archived March 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
6. ^ “McDonald’s Girls All-American Teams Announced”. Maxpreps.com. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
7. ^ “Brittney Griner Signs Endorsement Deal with Nike”.
8. ^ “Brittney Griner”. WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
9. ^ “Brittney Griner”. Team USA. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
10. ^ “Brittney Griner: National anthem has no place in WNBA, sports”. yahoo.com. July 27, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
11. ^ “Brittney Griner, Brianna Turner call for WNBA to stop playing national anthem this season”. The Washington Post. July 28, 2020.
12. ^ “Brittney Griner”. USA Basketball. April 24, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
13. ^ Nelson, Glenn (June 24, 2008). “Greatness and Griner go hand in hand”. ESPNHS HoopGurlz. ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
14. ^ Britney [sic] Griner: High School Girl Dunker on YouTube
15. ^ Jump up to:^a b Campbell, Steve (January 12, 2009). “Basketball prodigy’s tall tale is no myth”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
16. ^ “The Baylor Lariat | the official student news source”. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014.
17. ^ McLaughlin, Elliot L. (April 4, 2012). “Baylor star center Brittney Griner leads team to 40–0 season, championship”. CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
18. ^ “High School Sports Record Book”. National Federation of State High School Associations. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
19. ^ “WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
20. ^ “Brittney Griner Profile”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
21. ^ “Brittney Griner has triple-double, misses 3 dunks”. Interbasket.net. December 17, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
22. ^ “Griner Dunks Twice in WBB’s 99–18 Win”. Baylorbears.com. January 2, 2010. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
23. ^ “Video: Brittney Griner dunks twice, Baylor wins by 81”. Interbasket.net. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
24. ^ “Griner punches Barncastle after foul”, ESPN.com, March 4, 2010.
25. ^ “Baylor Freshman Suspended for Punching Opponent in the Face”, AP in The New York Times, March 4, 2010.
26. ^ “Georgetown Hoyas vs. Baylor Lady Bears – Recap”. ESPN. March 22, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
27. ^ “Griner sets NCAA tournament mark for blocked shots”. Rivals.yahoo.com. March 30, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
28. ^ “Brittney Griner – WNBA Draft”. October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
29. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Baylor University Sports Information”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
30. ^ Hays, Graham (December 5, 2012). “Comfort Zone”. espnW. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
31. ^ “Baylor Bears’ Brittney Griner is AP Player of the Year”. Espn.go.com. January 4, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
32. ^ John Altavilla, Herald-Mail Archived April 7, 2012, at archive.today Baylor women top Notre Dame to complete 40–0 season, April 3, 2012.
33. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Griner focused on senior season with champ Baylor”. Usatoday.com. October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
34. ^ Game’s biggest upset stuns Baylor ESPN. March 31, 2013.
35. ^ “WNBA – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky knock off Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury – ESPN”. Espn.go.com. May 28, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
36. ^ “Slow Start, Long Season”. Wnba.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
37. ^ “Brittney Griner out of WNBA All-Star Game with injury”. USA TODAY.
38. ^ “Brittney Griner NBA Tryout? Baylor Star Open To Mavericks Owner’s Offer”. M.huffpost.com. April 6, 2013. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
39. ^ “Mercury rout Shock behind Griner’s block party”. ESPN.com. September 18, 2015.
40. ^ “Watch Brittney Griner slam down the first dunk in WNBA playoff history”. USA Today.
41. ^ Hersh, Philip (September 12, 2014). “Diana Taurasi and Mercury sweep to WNBA title over Sky”. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
42. ^ “Brittney Griner had a record-setting 11 blocks in the opening game of the WNBA playoffs”. September 18, 2015.
43. ^ Written at Atlanta. “Griner’s Triple-Double Helps Mercury Beat Dream 95–87”. New York City: Women’s National Basketball Association. Associated Press. July 4, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
44. ^ “Griner signs new multiyear deal with Mercury”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
45. ^ “Brittney Griner scores career-high 38 points to lift Mercury to win over Fever”. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
46. ^ “Griner, Taurasi lead Mercury over Dream 104-95”. AP NEWS. August 18, 2018.
47. ^ Written at Phoenix, Arizona. “Sky pull away late to beat Mercury 94–86”. Bristol, Connecticut: ESPN. Associated Press. August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
48. ^ Wells, Adam. “Mercury’s Brittney Griner Leaves WNBA Bubble for Personal Reasons”. Bleacher Report.
49. ^ “Brittney Griner Makes 12 Times as Much Money Playing Basketball in China”. Business Insider.
50. ^ “Brittney Griner Makes 12 Times More Playing In China Than In The United States”. ThePostGame.com. April 21, 2014.
51. ^ “WNBA Players Playing Overseas”.
52. ^ “Why are these WNBA stars in Russia? It’s not just about the money”. ESPN.com.
53. ^ “2016–2017 WNBA Overseas Signings”. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
54. ^ “WNBA Players Playing Overseas”.
55. ^ ESPN broadcast of UConn v. Baylor, originally aired December 18, 2011.
56. ^ “Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster”. USA Basketball. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
57. ^ “2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team Roster”. USA Basketball. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
58. ^ “Brittney Griner”. usab.com. USA Basketball. October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
59. ^ Connors, Kaylee (June 21, 2021). “Mercury trio named to Olympic roster”. Cronkite News – Arizona PBS. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
60. ^ Jump up to:^a b Yolande Lezine, Another Honor For Brittney, February 17, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
61. ^ “PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR BASKETBALL”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
62. ^ “Griner Receives Honda Sports Award for WBB”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
63. ^ “Past Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Winners (Honda Cup)”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
64. ^ “The Wade Trophy”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
65. ^ “USBWA WOMEN’S HONORS”. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
66. ^ “Brittney Griner AAU Biography” (PDF). AAU Sports.
67. ^ “Brittney Griner – Women’s Basketball”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
68. ^ “Griner sets NCAA women’s mark with 8th dunk”. ESPN.com. November 18, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
69. ^ “Past WBCA HS Coaches’ All-America Teams”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
70. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
71. ^ “Moore named MVP of 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, headlines All-Star Five”. FIBA.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
72. ^ “40 Under 40: Brittney Griner Wants Our Kids to Feel Hope”. Advocate.com. July 29, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
73. ^ “2014 espnW Impact 25”. espnW. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
74. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (April 18, 2013). “Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins dealt with bullies”. SI.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
75. ^ Jump up to:^a b Galehouse, Maggie (April 4, 2014). “Brittney Griner: independent at last”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
76. ^ Griner, Brittney; Hovey, Sue (April 8, 2014). In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court. Dey Street Books (HarperCollins). ISBN 9780062309341. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
77. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner on Being a Gay Athlete: I Felt Like Half of Me Wasn’t Accepted”. PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
78. ^ ESPN. ESPN Magazine (June 10, 2013) Taboo Issue – Britney Griner.
79. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Owning The Middle”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
80. ^ Longman, Jeré (May 30, 2014). “Life Out Loud: ‘In My Skin,’ by Brittney Griner”. The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
81. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (July 27, 2020). “Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner will not be on court for National Anthem this season”. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
82. ^ “Brittney Griner says she will protest during the national anthem all season”. outsports.com. July 29, 2020.
83. ^ “WNBA players call on league to stop playing national anthem before games”. Fox News. July 28, 2020.
84. ^ Nichols, James (August 15, 2014). “Brittney Griner Proposes To Girlfriend Glory Johnson”. Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
85. ^ Silver, Jake (August 15, 2014). “WNBA’s Brittney Griner Gets Engaged to Former Tennessee Vols Star Glory Johnson”. Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
86. ^ “WNBA star Brittney Griner arrested on assault and disorderly conduct”. Sports Illustrated. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
87. ^ “Mercury’s Brittney Griner arrested on assault allegations”. Azcentral.com. April 23, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
88. ^ “Former Lady Vol Glory Johnson, WNBA Star Brittney Griner wed on Phoenix mountaintop”. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
89. ^ “WNBA Wedding! Brittney Griner Marries Glory Johnson”. Us Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
90. ^ Mather, Victor (May 15, 2015). “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Suspended 7 Games in Domestic Violence Case”. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
91. ^ “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Expecting First Child”. People. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
92. ^ Toomey, Alyssa (June 15, 2015). “Glory Johnson “Really Saddened” by Brittney Griner Split Amid Pregnancy, Clears Up Fertility Rumors”. E! News. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
93. ^ azcentral sports staff (June 6, 2015). “Report: Mercury’s Brittney Griner files for annulment”. azcentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
94. ^ Rayne, Naja (December 1, 2020). “Glory Johnson Opens Up About Tumultuous Relationship and Sudden Split With Brittney Griner: ‘I Trusted This Person'”. People. Retrieved March 6, 2022. The judge on their case ultimately denied an annulment, leaving the two women to file for divorce.
95. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Brittney Griner ordered to pay child support to Glory Johnson”. ESPN. April 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
96. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Ortiz, Jenna; Scott, Dana; Horos, Emily (March 10, 2022). “Brittney Griner detained in Russia: What to know about WNBA star’s life spent in spotlight”. USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
97. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 6, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Posts 1st Statement on Detainment”. The Advocate. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
98. ^ Crowley, Michael; Abrams, Jonathan (March 5, 2022). “Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia”. The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
99. ^ Mackay, Duncan (March 6, 2022). “American double Olympic basketball gold medallist arrested on drugs charges in Moscow”. InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
100. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (March 6, 2022). “Former Pentagon official: Russia could use WNBA star Brittney Griner as ‘high-profile hostage'”. Yahoo! News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
101. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Fears grow Russia could use US basketball star Brittney Griner as ‘hostage'”. The Guardian. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
102. ^ “Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands release of WNBA star, Houston native Brittney Griner in Russia”. Yahoo! News. March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
103. ^ Sterling, Wayne; Yan, Holly; Tucker, Emma (March 7, 2022). “It’ll be ‘very difficult’ to get detained US basketball star Brittney Griner out of Russia, lawmaker says”. CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
104. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner arrest extended to May 19: Russian media”. aljazeera. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
105. ^ “WNBA star Griner in ‘good condition’ in Russian detention: US”. aljazeera. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
106. ^ Abrams, Jonathan; Crowley, Michael (May 3, 2022). “U.S. Government Says Brittney Griner Was ‘Wrongfully Detained'”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
107. ^ “Brittney Griner’s pretrial detention in Russia has been extended by a month, Russian state news reports”. CNN. May 13, 2022.
108. ^ “Griner detention extended; U.S. skeptical of talks”. ESPN.com. May 13, 2022.
109. ^ Shoaib, Alia. “Basketball star Brittney Griner could be brought home in a prisoner swap with a notorious arms dealer dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death,’ Russian media says”. Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
110. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (May 25, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife Says She Wants WNBA Star Home In First Public Interview”. HuffPost. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
111. ^ Chernova, Anna; Andone, Dakin (June 28, 2022). “Russian court schedules start of Brittney Griner’s trial for Friday, her lawyer says”. CNN. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
112. ^ Saul, Derek (June 27, 2022). “New Photos Show Brittney Griner In Russian Court As Trial Date Is Set For July 1”. Forbes. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
113. ^ Dixon, Robyn (July 7, 2022). “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge in Russian Court”. The Washington Post.
114. ^ McKinley, Edward (July 7, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s guilty plea doesn’t mean what you think it does. A legal expert explains”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
115. ^ CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan, CNN, Kylie Atwood, Evan Perez and Jennifer Hansler, July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links

• Brittney Griner at WNBA
• Brittney Griner at FIBA 
• Brittney Griner on Facebook
• Brittney Griner on Twitter
• Brittney Griner on Instagram
• Brittney Griner at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived) 
• griner42.com

showvtePhoenix Mercury current roster

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Brittney Griner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search

Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019
No. 42 – Phoenix Mercury
Position	Center
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	October 18, 1990 (age 31) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Nimitz (Houston, Texas)
College	Baylor (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–present	Phoenix Mercury
2013–2014	Zhejiang Golden Bulls
2014–present	UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2014)8× WNBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021, 2022)2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)8× WNBA blocks leader (2013–2019, 2021)WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)3× Russian National League champion (2015–2017)4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)Russian Cup winner (2017)NCAA champion (2012)NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)AP Player of the Year (2012)Honda Sports Award (2012)2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)Second-team All-American – AP (2010)3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011–2013)4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010–2013)McDonald’s All-American (2009)WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
hideMedalsWomen’s basketballRepresenting the  United StatesOlympic Games2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam2020 TokyoTeamWorld Cup2014 Turkey2018 Spain

Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy at the WBCA Awards show in Denver Colorado 2012.

Brittney Yevette Griner (born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[1] She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.^[2][3] She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.^[4] In 2012, the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation’s No. 1 high school women’s basketball player by Rivals.com.^[5] She was selected to the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American basketball team.^[6] In 2012, she received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. In 2013, Griner signed an endorsement deal with Nike.^[7] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wears a men’s U.S. size 17 shoe and has an arm span of 87.5 in (222 cm).^[8][5]

Griner was on the United States women’s Olympic team in 2016, and led them to victory at the Rio Olympics.^[9] In 2020, Griner protested the Star Spangled Banner and stated she wouldn’t be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.^[10][11] In 2021, Griner was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

Griner is one of 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship.

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage. She had been entering Russia to play with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason. Her trial began on July 1, and she pled guilty to the charges.

Contents

• 1Early life and high school career
• 2College career
  • 2.1College statistics
• 3Professional career
  • 3.1WNBA
  • 3.2Overseas
• 4National team career
• 5Honors
• 6Personal life
  • 6.1Marriages and domestic violence case
  • 6.22022 arrest in Russia
• 7WNBA career statistics
  • 7.1Regular season
  • 7.2Playoffs
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Early life and high school career

Griner was born in Houston, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former Harris County sheriff and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three older siblings.^[12]

Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. In addition to lettering in basketball throughout high school, she played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk.^[13] During her junior season, a YouTube video featuring her dunks was watched more than 6.6 million times,^[14] leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal.^[15]

During her senior year, Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game, where Nimitz lost 52–43 to Mansfield Summit High School. Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.^[16] Houston mayor Bill White declared May 7, 2009, Brittney Griner Day.^[17] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.^[15] In her 2008–09 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record.^[18]

Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.^[19]

College career

Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a freshman, Griner’s 223 blocked shots set the all-time single-season record, establishing her as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball history.^[20] On December 16, 2009, Griner recorded Baylor’s first triple-double^[21] with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots. In January 2010, she became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game,^[22] and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game, making the second and third dunks of her college career^[23] in a lopsided 99–18 victory against Texas State University.

On March 3, 2010, Griner and Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle were battling for position near the lane. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle’s nose. Griner was then ejected from the game. Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey then imposed another one-game suspension in addition to the one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules.^[24][25]

Baylor entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, and knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49–33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas.^[26] In the Elite Eight, Baylor defeated Duke 51–48, and Griner blocked 9 shots, totaling 35 for the tournament, a new NCAA Women’s Tournament record. Duke’s Alison Bales had held the previous record of 30 blocks in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Tournament.^[27] Baylor reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70–50. Griner was named an AP Second Team All-American.^[28]

As a sophomore, Griner received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game, including a career-high 40 points against Green Bay in the Sweet 16.^[29]

In her junior season, Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.^[29] She blocked more shots than any other Division I women’s team that season.^[30] Griner was named AP Player of the Year^[31] and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.

On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80–61 over Notre Dame. Griner was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins, the most in NCAA history.^[32]

After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp.^[33]

Her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.^[34]

College statistics

†	NCAA championship
	NCAA record

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009–10	Baylor	35	35	33.5	.503	.000	.684	8.5	1.0	0.5	6.4	2.8	18.4
2010–11	Baylor	37	37	31.8	.543	.500	.777	7.8	1.4	0.4	4.6	2.1	23.0
2011–12†	Baylor	40	40	32.7	.609	.500	.800	9.5	1.6	0.6	5.2	1.7	23.2
2012–13	Baylor	36	36	30.3	.607	.000	.712	9.4	2.4	0.7	4.1	1.9	23.8
Career	148	148	32.0	.569	.400	.747	8.8	1.6	0.5	5.1	1.4	22.2

Year	Rebounds	Blocks	Points	Notable stats.
Total	Season high	Total	Season high	Total	Season high
2009–10	297	21	223	14	644	34	NCAA record for blocks in a season
2010–11	290	15	170	10	852	40
2011–12†	379	15	206	9	929	45
2012–13	339	15	149	7	858	50
Career	1,305	748	3,283	NCAA record for career blocks (men and women)

Professional career

WNBA

Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

The only international female players surpassing her height are the late Margo Dydek, at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Bernadett Határ, at 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.096 m), and Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m).

2013

In the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the first overall pick. Griner would flourish in her rookie season, being named a WNBA all-star and would be a dominant defensive force in the league, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against Chicago Sky, Griner equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker‘s career total.^[35] She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.^[36] Despite the All-Star vote, Griner missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, she was replaced by Tina Thompson.^[37]

In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the opportunity, but no offer to try out was extended by the team.^[38]

2014

In the 2014 season, Griner’s stats would improve, as she averaged 15.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.^[39] On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93–68, at Staples Center.^[40]

The 2014 season would be a historic season for the Mercury with the combination of Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree as the dominant Big 3 to carry the team plus the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Mercury finished 29–5, setting the WNBA record for most wins in a regular season. They made it all the way to the WNBA finals and swept the Chicago Sky 3 games to 0, to capture the Mercury’s third championship in franchise history.^[41] During the series, Griner set WNBA finals records in game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).Griner performing a layup in 2017

2015

In the 2015 season, despite missing the first seven games due to a suspension stemming from her domestic violence case, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in the 1998 season. Although the Mercury were playing without their all-star guard Diana Taurasi (who sat out the season to play overseas), the Mercury still made it to the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks (along with 18 points and 8 rebounds) in a game 1 victory against the Tulsa Shock, whom she also had 11 blocks against in a regular season game the year before.^[42] The Mercury advanced to the second round where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx who won the championship that year.

2016

In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury had a more successful playoff run. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16–18. During the season, Griner had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.^[43] With the WNBA’s new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league as they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the number 3 seeded New York Liberty, Griner had 22 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win. The Mercury advanced to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-5 series but would get swept 3–0.Griner and the Mercury guarding Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx in 2018

2017

On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.^[44] In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career thus far. On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.^[45] Griner would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury (replaced by Rebekkah Brunson), but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mercury finished with an 18–16 record as the number 5 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69, advancing to the second round. Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury were eliminated by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

2018

In 2018, Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. On August 18, 2018, Griner scored a season-high 33 points along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 104–95 victory over the Atlanta Dream.^[46] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year. The Mercury finished off the season 20–14 with the number 5 seed in the league.

In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83. Griner scored 17 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. Down 2–0, the Mercury came back to tie up the series 2–2. In game 5, the Mercury lost 94–84, ending their season.

2019

In 2019, Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky.^[47] By the end of the season, Griner led the league in the scoring for the second time in her career and would continue to lead the league in blocks for the seventh straight season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury were eliminated 105–76 by the Chicago Sky in the first round elimination game. Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

2020

The 2020 season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 12 games played, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons.^[48] Without Griner, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed. They would make it as far as the second round where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the elimination game.

Overseas

Griner plays overseas in the WNBA off-season.^[49] In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the Mercury.^[50] In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.^[51][52]

In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season.^[53] In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season,^[54] and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season.

National team career

In September 2011, Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. national team as part of its European training tour. Griner was the only college player in the group.^[55] She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the U.S. team in Europe.^[33]

Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.^[56] Excluding Griner, the average age on the finalists roster was approximately 30 years, while Griner was 22 years old at the time of the Olympics. Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.^[57]

In 2016, she played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and NCAA title, joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list.^[58]

Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.^[59]

Honors

Along with being selected as the number one high school player in the country by Rivals.com, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN‘s Rise magazine,^[60] and was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the 2009 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.^[60] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. She was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball^[61][62] and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.^[63]

She was the 2012 recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the best female NCAA Division I basketball player who embodies the “Spirit of Margaret Wade.”^[64] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. The award is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top Division I women’s player.^[65]

Among other accolades, Griner is credited with bringing the women’s game more attention due to her ability to dunk.^[66] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.^[67] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women’s dunks leader.^[68]

• 2009—WBCA High School Coaches’ All-America Team^[69]
• 2011—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2012—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2013—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2014—FIBA World Championship All-Star Five^[71]

In 2014, Griner was included as part of the Advocate’s annual “40 under 40” list.^[72]

She was also named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25 in 2014.^[73]

Personal life

In an interview with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner publicly came out as a lesbian.^[74] She also revealed in the interview that she was bullied as a child, explaining, “It’s hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” She said she is very passionate about working with children in order to bring attention to the issue of bullying, particularly against LGBT people.^[74] Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.^[75] She would later write a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.^[75][76]

In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”^[77] In 2013, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. She appeared in “The Taboo Issue”.^[78] She is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are “misunderstood”.^[79] She says, “You just have to look at it in a different way.”^[79]

Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete.^[80] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as “menswear” for Nike.^[79] Nike spokesman Brian Strong said of signing Griner, “We can’t get into specifics, but it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with her because she breaks the mold.”^[79]

In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. She made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida. Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.^[81] She said later during a media teleconference, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”^[82] She said she does not believe that the national anthem should be played at sporting events.^[83]

Marriages and domestic violence case

On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.^[84][85] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.^[86][87] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix.^[88][89] On May 15, 2015, the WNBA suspended Griner and Johnson for seven games each after Griner pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges. Griner was also required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.^[90]

On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins,^[91] conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization.^[92] The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress;^[93] the annulment was denied.^[94] Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature.^[95] Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson.^[95] The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.^[96]

Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018,^[97] and they married in June 2019.^[96] Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.^[96]

2022 arrest in Russia

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Security Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.^[98][99] Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine; former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas feared Griner could be used as a “high-profile hostage” for Russia.^[100][101] Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for her release.^[102][101] In an interview with CNN, California Democratic Representative John Garamendi said that it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia. He stated that although there might be negotiations to have her released, they would be stymied by the fact that diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States were strained because of the invasion of Ukraine.^[103]

In mid-March, Russian state broadcaster TASS reported that a Moscow court had extended the period of Griner’s detention while under investigation until May 19, with an official from the Russian Public Monitoring Commission stating that “the only objective problem has turned out to be the basketball player’s height. The beds in the cell are clearly intended for a person of lesser height.”^[104] On March 23, the United States Department of State stated that an American diplomatic official had been able to visit Griner in detention, reporting that she was “in good condition.”^[105]

In early May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being “wrongfully detained”, indicating a more aggressive approach towards securing her release.^[106] On May 13, CNN reported that Russian courts extended her pre-trial detention to June 18.^[107] Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Griner had been in detention for nearly three months.^[108] On May 15, it was reported that the United States and Russia would consider a prisoner swap, with Russia exchanging Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.^[109]

In May 2022, in her first public interview since Griner was detained, Griner’s wife Cherelle spoke to Good Morning America, where she called Griner a “political pawn”.^[110] Cherelle stated she has heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating, “I was grateful for the call, you say she’s top priority, but I wanna see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil. At this point I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”^[110]

In a closed-door hearing on June 27, a court in Khimki scheduled Griner’s trial to begin on July 1 and extended her detention by six months pending the outcome of her case, according to her lawyer, Alexander Boykov. She was photographed by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse arriving at the hearing; she had last been photographed at the May 13 hearing.^[111][112] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.^[113][114] On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden approved a possible trade for Griner and Paul Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout who has done 10 years on a 25-year sentence in the U.S.^[115]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

†	Denotes seasons in which Griner won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	27	27	25.9	.556	.000	.724	6.3	1.0	0.4	3.0°	1.7	14.5
2014†	Phoenix	34	34	30.7	.578	.000	.802	8.0	1.6	0.6	3.7°	1.9	15.6
2015	Phoenix	26	26	30.7	.565	.000	.773	8.1	1.3	0.3	4.0	2.1	15.1
2016	Phoenix	34	34	29.2	.548	.000	.831	6.5	1.0	0.3	3.1°	2.0	14.5
2017	Phoenix	26	26	31.5	.577	.000	.812	7.6	1.9	0.6	2.5°	2.4	21.9
2018	Phoenix	34	34	32.6	.544	.250	.800	7.7	2.1	0.5	2.6°	2.3	20.5
2019	Phoenix	31	31	32.8	.564	.333	.808	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0°	2.4	20.7°
2020	Phoenix	12	12	31.8	.497	.000	.809	7.5	3.0	0.3	1.8	2.5	17.7
2021	Phoenix	30	30	32.8	.575	.444	.846	9.5	2.7	0.4	1.9°	2.2	20.5
Career		254	254	30.9	.560	.353	.804	7.6	1.8	0.5	2.8	2.2	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	5	5	26.6	.533	.000	.556	6.4	0.2	0.2	0.8	1.6	10.6
2014†	Phoenix	7	7	31.0	.627	.000	.920	6.0	1.6	0.4	3.4°	1.8	16.7
2015	Phoenix	4	4	29.7	.583	.000	.885	8.0	1.3	0.7	4.5°	2.0	16.3
2016	Phoenix	5	5	31.2	.643	.000	.813	6.0	1.6	0.6	2.2	2.2	13.4
2017	Phoenix	5	5	36.8	.407	.000	.795	7.0	2.0	0.6	1.6	2.4	20.2
2018	Phoenix	7	7	36.4	.631	.000	.750	8.0	3.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	21.6
2019	Phoenix	1	1	13.8	.375	.000	.000	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	6.0
2021	Phoenix	11	11	35.1	.562	.000	.800	8.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	2.1	21.8
Career		45	45	32.5	.562	.000	.808	7.2	2.0	0.5	2.2	2.0	17.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders
• List of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

1. ^ “Brittney Griner”. Official Site of the WNBA. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
2. ^ “Houston rocket: Nimitz 6–6 sophomore “Brittney Griner is taking off”, SI.com, January 16, 2007.
3. ^ Griner, Brittney. “Baylor Women’s Basketball Player Bio”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
4. ^ Longman, Jeré (March 19, 2013). “Brittney Griner’s Final Season Draws Applause and Crowds”. The New York Times.
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b Jeff Fedotin, Griner named nation’s no. 1 player Archived March 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
6. ^ “McDonald’s Girls All-American Teams Announced”. Maxpreps.com. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
7. ^ “Brittney Griner Signs Endorsement Deal with Nike”.
8. ^ “Brittney Griner”. WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
9. ^ “Brittney Griner”. Team USA. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
10. ^ “Brittney Griner: National anthem has no place in WNBA, sports”. yahoo.com. July 27, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
11. ^ “Brittney Griner, Brianna Turner call for WNBA to stop playing national anthem this season”. The Washington Post. July 28, 2020.
12. ^ “Brittney Griner”. USA Basketball. April 24, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
13. ^ Nelson, Glenn (June 24, 2008). “Greatness and Griner go hand in hand”. ESPNHS HoopGurlz. ESPN. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
14. ^ Britney [sic] Griner: High School Girl Dunker on YouTube
15. ^ Jump up to:^a b Campbell, Steve (January 12, 2009). “Basketball prodigy’s tall tale is no myth”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
16. ^ “The Baylor Lariat | the official student news source”. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014.
17. ^ McLaughlin, Elliot L. (April 4, 2012). “Baylor star center Brittney Griner leads team to 40–0 season, championship”. CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
18. ^ “High School Sports Record Book”. National Federation of State High School Associations. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
19. ^ “WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
20. ^ “Brittney Griner Profile”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
21. ^ “Brittney Griner has triple-double, misses 3 dunks”. Interbasket.net. December 17, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
22. ^ “Griner Dunks Twice in WBB’s 99–18 Win”. Baylorbears.com. January 2, 2010. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
23. ^ “Video: Brittney Griner dunks twice, Baylor wins by 81”. Interbasket.net. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
24. ^ “Griner punches Barncastle after foul”, ESPN.com, March 4, 2010.
25. ^ “Baylor Freshman Suspended for Punching Opponent in the Face”, AP in The New York Times, March 4, 2010.
26. ^ “Georgetown Hoyas vs. Baylor Lady Bears – Recap”. ESPN. March 22, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
27. ^ “Griner sets NCAA tournament mark for blocked shots”. Rivals.yahoo.com. March 30, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
28. ^ “Brittney Griner – WNBA Draft”. October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
29. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Baylor University Sports Information”. Baylorbears.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
30. ^ Hays, Graham (December 5, 2012). “Comfort Zone”. espnW. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
31. ^ “Baylor Bears’ Brittney Griner is AP Player of the Year”. Espn.go.com. January 4, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
32. ^ John Altavilla, Herald-Mail Archived April 7, 2012, at archive.today Baylor women top Notre Dame to complete 40–0 season, April 3, 2012.
33. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Griner focused on senior season with champ Baylor”. Usatoday.com. October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
34. ^ Game’s biggest upset stuns Baylor ESPN. March 31, 2013.
35. ^ “WNBA – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky knock off Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury – ESPN”. Espn.go.com. May 28, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
36. ^ “Slow Start, Long Season”. Wnba.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
37. ^ “Brittney Griner out of WNBA All-Star Game with injury”. USA TODAY.
38. ^ “Brittney Griner NBA Tryout? Baylor Star Open To Mavericks Owner’s Offer”. M.huffpost.com. April 6, 2013. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
39. ^ “Mercury rout Shock behind Griner’s block party”. ESPN.com. September 18, 2015.
40. ^ “Watch Brittney Griner slam down the first dunk in WNBA playoff history”. USA Today.
41. ^ Hersh, Philip (September 12, 2014). “Diana Taurasi and Mercury sweep to WNBA title over Sky”. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
42. ^ “Brittney Griner had a record-setting 11 blocks in the opening game of the WNBA playoffs”. September 18, 2015.
43. ^ Written at Atlanta. “Griner’s Triple-Double Helps Mercury Beat Dream 95–87”. New York City: Women’s National Basketball Association. Associated Press. July 4, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
44. ^ “Griner signs new multiyear deal with Mercury”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
45. ^ “Brittney Griner scores career-high 38 points to lift Mercury to win over Fever”. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
46. ^ “Griner, Taurasi lead Mercury over Dream 104-95”. AP NEWS. August 18, 2018.
47. ^ Written at Phoenix, Arizona. “Sky pull away late to beat Mercury 94–86”. Bristol, Connecticut: ESPN. Associated Press. August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
48. ^ Wells, Adam. “Mercury’s Brittney Griner Leaves WNBA Bubble for Personal Reasons”. Bleacher Report.
49. ^ “Brittney Griner Makes 12 Times as Much Money Playing Basketball in China”. Business Insider.
50. ^ “Brittney Griner Makes 12 Times More Playing In China Than In The United States”. ThePostGame.com. April 21, 2014.
51. ^ “WNBA Players Playing Overseas”.
52. ^ “Why are these WNBA stars in Russia? It’s not just about the money”. ESPN.com.
53. ^ “2016–2017 WNBA Overseas Signings”. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
54. ^ “WNBA Players Playing Overseas”.
55. ^ ESPN broadcast of UConn v. Baylor, originally aired December 18, 2011.
56. ^ “Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster”. USA Basketball. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
57. ^ “2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team Roster”. USA Basketball. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
58. ^ “Brittney Griner”. usab.com. USA Basketball. October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
59. ^ Connors, Kaylee (June 21, 2021). “Mercury trio named to Olympic roster”. Cronkite News – Arizona PBS. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
60. ^ Jump up to:^a b Yolande Lezine, Another Honor For Brittney, February 17, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
61. ^ “PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR BASKETBALL”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
62. ^ “Griner Receives Honda Sports Award for WBB”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
63. ^ “Past Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Winners (Honda Cup)”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
64. ^ “The Wade Trophy”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
65. ^ “USBWA WOMEN’S HONORS”. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
66. ^ “Brittney Griner AAU Biography” (PDF). AAU Sports.
67. ^ “Brittney Griner – Women’s Basketball”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
68. ^ “Griner sets NCAA women’s mark with 8th dunk”. ESPN.com. November 18, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
69. ^ “Past WBCA HS Coaches’ All-America Teams”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
70. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
71. ^ “Moore named MVP of 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, headlines All-Star Five”. FIBA.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
72. ^ “40 Under 40: Brittney Griner Wants Our Kids to Feel Hope”. Advocate.com. July 29, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
73. ^ “2014 espnW Impact 25”. espnW. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
74. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (April 18, 2013). “Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins dealt with bullies”. SI.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
75. ^ Jump up to:^a b Galehouse, Maggie (April 4, 2014). “Brittney Griner: independent at last”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
76. ^ Griner, Brittney; Hovey, Sue (April 8, 2014). In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court. Dey Street Books (HarperCollins). ISBN 9780062309341. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
77. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner on Being a Gay Athlete: I Felt Like Half of Me Wasn’t Accepted”. PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
78. ^ ESPN. ESPN Magazine (June 10, 2013) Taboo Issue – Britney Griner.
79. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Owning The Middle”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
80. ^ Longman, Jeré (May 30, 2014). “Life Out Loud: ‘In My Skin,’ by Brittney Griner”. The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
81. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (July 27, 2020). “Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner will not be on court for National Anthem this season”. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
82. ^ “Brittney Griner says she will protest during the national anthem all season”. outsports.com. July 29, 2020.
83. ^ “WNBA players call on league to stop playing national anthem before games”. Fox News. July 28, 2020.
84. ^ Nichols, James (August 15, 2014). “Brittney Griner Proposes To Girlfriend Glory Johnson”. Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
85. ^ Silver, Jake (August 15, 2014). “WNBA’s Brittney Griner Gets Engaged to Former Tennessee Vols Star Glory Johnson”. Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
86. ^ “WNBA star Brittney Griner arrested on assault and disorderly conduct”. Sports Illustrated. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
87. ^ “Mercury’s Brittney Griner arrested on assault allegations”. Azcentral.com. April 23, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
88. ^ “Former Lady Vol Glory Johnson, WNBA Star Brittney Griner wed on Phoenix mountaintop”. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
89. ^ “WNBA Wedding! Brittney Griner Marries Glory Johnson”. Us Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
90. ^ Mather, Victor (May 15, 2015). “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Suspended 7 Games in Domestic Violence Case”. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
91. ^ “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Expecting First Child”. People. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
92. ^ Toomey, Alyssa (June 15, 2015). “Glory Johnson “Really Saddened” by Brittney Griner Split Amid Pregnancy, Clears Up Fertility Rumors”. E! News. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
93. ^ azcentral sports staff (June 6, 2015). “Report: Mercury’s Brittney Griner files for annulment”. azcentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
94. ^ Rayne, Naja (December 1, 2020). “Glory Johnson Opens Up About Tumultuous Relationship and Sudden Split With Brittney Griner: ‘I Trusted This Person'”. People. Retrieved March 6, 2022. The judge on their case ultimately denied an annulment, leaving the two women to file for divorce.
95. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Brittney Griner ordered to pay child support to Glory Johnson”. ESPN. April 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
96. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Ortiz, Jenna; Scott, Dana; Horos, Emily (March 10, 2022). “Brittney Griner detained in Russia: What to know about WNBA star’s life spent in spotlight”. USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
97. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 6, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Posts 1st Statement on Detainment”. The Advocate. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
98. ^ Crowley, Michael; Abrams, Jonathan (March 5, 2022). “Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia”. The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
99. ^ Mackay, Duncan (March 6, 2022). “American double Olympic basketball gold medallist arrested on drugs charges in Moscow”. InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
100. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (March 6, 2022). “Former Pentagon official: Russia could use WNBA star Brittney Griner as ‘high-profile hostage'”. Yahoo! News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
101. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Fears grow Russia could use US basketball star Brittney Griner as ‘hostage'”. The Guardian. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
102. ^ “Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands release of WNBA star, Houston native Brittney Griner in Russia”. Yahoo! News. March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
103. ^ Sterling, Wayne; Yan, Holly; Tucker, Emma (March 7, 2022). “It’ll be ‘very difficult’ to get detained US basketball star Brittney Griner out of Russia, lawmaker says”. CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
104. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner arrest extended to May 19: Russian media”. aljazeera. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
105. ^ “WNBA star Griner in ‘good condition’ in Russian detention: US”. aljazeera. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
106. ^ Abrams, Jonathan; Crowley, Michael (May 3, 2022). “U.S. Government Says Brittney Griner Was ‘Wrongfully Detained'”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
107. ^ “Brittney Griner’s pretrial detention in Russia has been extended by a month, Russian state news reports”. CNN. May 13, 2022.
108. ^ “Griner detention extended; U.S. skeptical of talks”. ESPN.com. May 13, 2022.
109. ^ Shoaib, Alia. “Basketball star Brittney Griner could be brought home in a prisoner swap with a notorious arms dealer dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death,’ Russian media says”. Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
110. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (May 25, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife Says She Wants WNBA Star Home In First Public Interview”. HuffPost. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
111. ^ Chernova, Anna; Andone, Dakin (June 28, 2022). “Russian court schedules start of Brittney Griner’s trial for Friday, her lawyer says”. CNN. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
112. ^ Saul, Derek (June 27, 2022). “New Photos Show Brittney Griner In Russian Court As Trial Date Is Set For July 1”. Forbes. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
113. ^ Dixon, Robyn (July 7, 2022). “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge in Russian Court”. The Washington Post.
114. ^ McKinley, Edward (July 7, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s guilty plea doesn’t mean what you think it does. A legal expert explains”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
115. ^ CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan, CNN, Kylie Atwood, Evan Perez and Jennifer Hansler, July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links

• Brittney Griner at WNBA
• Brittney Griner at FIBA 
• Brittney Griner on Facebook
• Brittney Griner on Twitter
• Brittney Griner on Instagram
• Brittney Griner at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived) 
• griner42.com

showvtePhoenix Mercury current roster

showBrittney Griner–awards, championships and honors

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Brittney Griner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search

Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019
No. 42 – Phoenix Mercury
Position	Center
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	October 18, 1990 (age 31) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Nimitz (Houston, Texas)
College	Baylor (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–present	Phoenix Mercury
2013–2014	Zhejiang Golden Bulls
2014–present	UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2014)8× WNBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021, 2022)2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)8× WNBA blocks leader (2013–2019, 2021)WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)3× Russian National League champion (2015–2017)4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)Russian Cup winner (2017)NCAA champion (2012)NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)AP Player of the Year (2012)Honda Sports Award (2012)2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)Second-team All-American – AP (2010)3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011–2013)4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010–2013)McDonald’s All-American (2009)WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
hideMedalsWomen’s basketballRepresenting the  United StatesOlympic Games2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam2020 TokyoTeamWorld Cup2014 Turkey2018 Spain

Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy at the WBCA Awards show in Denver Colorado 2012.

Brittney Yevette Griner (born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[1] She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.^[2][3] She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.^[4] In 2012, the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation’s No. 1 high school women’s basketball player by Rivals.com.^[5] She was selected to the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American basketball team.^[6] In 2012, she received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. In 2013, Griner signed an endorsement deal with Nike.^[7] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wears a men’s U.S. size 17 shoe and has an arm span of 87.5 in (222 cm).^[8][5]

Griner was on the United States women’s Olympic team in 2016, and led them to victory at the Rio Olympics.^[9] In 2020, Griner protested the Star Spangled Banner and stated she wouldn’t be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.^[10][11] In 2021, Griner was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

Griner is one of 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship.

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage. She had been entering Russia to play with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason. Her trial began on July 1, and she pled guilty to the charges.

Contents

• 1Early life and high school career
• 2College career
  • 2.1College statistics
• 3Professional career
  • 3.1WNBA
  • 3.2Overseas
• 4National team career
• 5Honors
• 6Personal life
  • 6.1Marriages and domestic violence case
  • 6.22022 arrest in Russia
• 7WNBA career statistics
  • 7.1Regular season
  • 7.2Playoffs
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Early life and high school career

Griner was born in Houston, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former Harris County sheriff and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three older siblings.^[12]

Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. In addition to lettering in basketball throughout high school, she played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk.^[13] During her junior season, a YouTube video featuring her dunks was watched more than 6.6 million times,^[14] leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal.^[15]

During her senior year, Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game, where Nimitz lost 52–43 to Mansfield Summit High School. Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.^[16] Houston mayor Bill White declared May 7, 2009, Brittney Griner Day.^[17] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.^[15] In her 2008–09 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record.^[18]

Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.^[19]

College career

Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a freshman, Griner’s 223 blocked shots set the all-time single-season record, establishing her as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball history.^[20] On December 16, 2009, Griner recorded Baylor’s first triple-double^[21] with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots. In January 2010, she became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game,^[22] and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game, making the second and third dunks of her college career^[23] in a lopsided 99–18 victory against Texas State University.

On March 3, 2010, Griner and Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle were battling for position near the lane. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle’s nose. Griner was then ejected from the game. Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey then imposed another one-game suspension in addition to the one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules.^[24][25]

Baylor entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, and knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49–33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas.^[26] In the Elite Eight, Baylor defeated Duke 51–48, and Griner blocked 9 shots, totaling 35 for the tournament, a new NCAA Women’s Tournament record. Duke’s Alison Bales had held the previous record of 30 blocks in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Tournament.^[27] Baylor reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70–50. Griner was named an AP Second Team All-American.^[28]

As a sophomore, Griner received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game, including a career-high 40 points against Green Bay in the Sweet 16.^[29]

In her junior season, Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.^[29] She blocked more shots than any other Division I women’s team that season.^[30] Griner was named AP Player of the Year^[31] and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.

On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80–61 over Notre Dame. Griner was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins, the most in NCAA history.^[32]

After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp.^[33]

Her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.^[34]

College statistics

†	NCAA championship
	NCAA record

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009–10	Baylor	35	35	33.5	.503	.000	.684	8.5	1.0	0.5	6.4	2.8	18.4
2010–11	Baylor	37	37	31.8	.543	.500	.777	7.8	1.4	0.4	4.6	2.1	23.0
2011–12†	Baylor	40	40	32.7	.609	.500	.800	9.5	1.6	0.6	5.2	1.7	23.2
2012–13	Baylor	36	36	30.3	.607	.000	.712	9.4	2.4	0.7	4.1	1.9	23.8
Career	148	148	32.0	.569	.400	.747	8.8	1.6	0.5	5.1	1.4	22.2

Year	Rebounds	Blocks	Points	Notable stats.
Total	Season high	Total	Season high	Total	Season high
2009–10	297	21	223	14	644	34	NCAA record for blocks in a season
2010–11	290	15	170	10	852	40
2011–12†	379	15	206	9	929	45
2012–13	339	15	149	7	858	50
Career	1,305	748	3,283	NCAA record for career blocks (men and women)

Professional career

WNBA

Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

The only international female players surpassing her height are the late Margo Dydek, at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Bernadett Határ, at 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.096 m), and Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m).

2013

In the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the first overall pick. Griner would flourish in her rookie season, being named a WNBA all-star and would be a dominant defensive force in the league, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against Chicago Sky, Griner equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker‘s career total.^[35] She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.^[36] Despite the All-Star vote, Griner missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, she was replaced by Tina Thompson.^[37]

In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the opportunity, but no offer to try out was extended by the team.^[38]

2014

In the 2014 season, Griner’s stats would improve, as she averaged 15.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.^[39] On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93–68, at Staples Center.^[40]

The 2014 season would be a historic season for the Mercury with the combination of Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree as the dominant Big 3 to carry the team plus the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Mercury finished 29–5, setting the WNBA record for most wins in a regular season. They made it all the way to the WNBA finals and swept the Chicago Sky 3 games to 0, to capture the Mercury’s third championship in franchise history.^[41] During the series, Griner set WNBA finals records in game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).Griner performing a layup in 2017

2015

In the 2015 season, despite missing the first seven games due to a suspension stemming from her domestic violence case, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in the 1998 season. Although the Mercury were playing without their all-star guard Diana Taurasi (who sat out the season to play overseas), the Mercury still made it to the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks (along with 18 points and 8 rebounds) in a game 1 victory against the Tulsa Shock, whom she also had 11 blocks against in a regular season game the year before.^[42] The Mercury advanced to the second round where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx who won the championship that year.

2016

In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury had a more successful playoff run. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16–18. During the season, Griner had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.^[43] With the WNBA’s new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league as they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the number 3 seeded New York Liberty, Griner had 22 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win. The Mercury advanced to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-5 series but would get swept 3–0.Griner and the Mercury guarding Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx in 2018

2017

On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.^[44] In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career thus far. On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.^[45] Griner would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury (replaced by Rebekkah Brunson), but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mercury finished with an 18–16 record as the number 5 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69, advancing to the second round. Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury were eliminated by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

2018

In 2018, Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. On August 18, 2018, Griner scored a season-high 33 points along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 104–95 victory over the Atlanta Dream.^[46] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year. The Mercury finished off the season 20–14 with the number 5 seed in the league.

In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83. Griner scored 17 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. Down 2–0, the Mercury came back to tie up the series 2–2. In game 5, the Mercury lost 94–84, ending their season.

2019

In 2019, Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky.^[47] By the end of the season, Griner led the league in the scoring for the second time in her career and would continue to lead the league in blocks for the seventh straight season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury were eliminated 105–76 by the Chicago Sky in the first round elimination game. Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

2020

The 2020 season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 12 games played, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons.^[48] Without Griner, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed. They would make it as far as the second round where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the elimination game.

Overseas

Griner plays overseas in the WNBA off-season.^[49] In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the Mercury.^[50] In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.^[51][52]

In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season.^[53] In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season,^[54] and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season.

National team career

In September 2011, Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. national team as part of its European training tour. Griner was the only college player in the group.^[55] She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the U.S. team in Europe.^[33]

Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.^[56] Excluding Griner, the average age on the finalists roster was approximately 30 years, while Griner was 22 years old at the time of the Olympics. Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.^[57]

In 2016, she played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and NCAA title, joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list.^[58]

Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.^[59]

Honors

Along with being selected as the number one high school player in the country by Rivals.com, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN‘s Rise magazine,^[60] and was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the 2009 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.^[60] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. She was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball^[61][62] and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.^[63]

She was the 2012 recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the best female NCAA Division I basketball player who embodies the “Spirit of Margaret Wade.”^[64] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. The award is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top Division I women’s player.^[65]

Among other accolades, Griner is credited with bringing the women’s game more attention due to her ability to dunk.^[66] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.^[67] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women’s dunks leader.^[68]

• 2009—WBCA High School Coaches’ All-America Team^[69]
• 2011—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2012—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2013—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2014—FIBA World Championship All-Star Five^[71]

In 2014, Griner was included as part of the Advocate’s annual “40 under 40” list.^[72]

She was also named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25 in 2014.^[73]

Personal life

In an interview with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner publicly came out as a lesbian.^[74] She also revealed in the interview that she was bullied as a child, explaining, “It’s hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” She said she is very passionate about working with children in order to bring attention to the issue of bullying, particularly against LGBT people.^[74] Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.^[75] She would later write a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.^[75][76]

In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”^[77] In 2013, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. She appeared in “The Taboo Issue”.^[78] She is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are “misunderstood”.^[79] She says, “You just have to look at it in a different way.”^[79]

Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete.^[80] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as “menswear” for Nike.^[79] Nike spokesman Brian Strong said of signing Griner, “We can’t get into specifics, but it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with her because she breaks the mold.”^[79]

In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. She made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida. Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.^[81] She said later during a media teleconference, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”^[82] She said she does not believe that the national anthem should be played at sporting events.^[83]

Marriages and domestic violence case

On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.^[84][85] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.^[86][87] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix.^[88][89] On May 15, 2015, the WNBA suspended Griner and Johnson for seven games each after Griner pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges. Griner was also required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.^[90]

On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins,^[91] conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization.^[92] The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress;^[93] the annulment was denied.^[94] Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature.^[95] Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson.^[95] The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.^[96]

Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018,^[97] and they married in June 2019.^[96] Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.^[96]

2022 arrest in Russia

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Security Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.^[98][99] Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine; former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas feared Griner could be used as a “high-profile hostage” for Russia.^[100][101] Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for her release.^[102][101] In an interview with CNN, California Democratic Representative John Garamendi said that it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia. He stated that although there might be negotiations to have her released, they would be stymied by the fact that diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States were strained because of the invasion of Ukraine.^[103]

In mid-March, Russian state broadcaster TASS reported that a Moscow court had extended the period of Griner’s detention while under investigation until May 19, with an official from the Russian Public Monitoring Commission stating that “the only objective problem has turned out to be the basketball player’s height. The beds in the cell are clearly intended for a person of lesser height.”^[104] On March 23, the United States Department of State stated that an American diplomatic official had been able to visit Griner in detention, reporting that she was “in good condition.”^[105]

In early May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being “wrongfully detained”, indicating a more aggressive approach towards securing her release.^[106] On May 13, CNN reported that Russian courts extended her pre-trial detention to June 18.^[107] Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Griner had been in detention for nearly three months.^[108] On May 15, it was reported that the United States and Russia would consider a prisoner swap, with Russia exchanging Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.^[109]

In May 2022, in her first public interview since Griner was detained, Griner’s wife Cherelle spoke to Good Morning America, where she called Griner a “political pawn”.^[110] Cherelle stated she has heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating, “I was grateful for the call, you say she’s top priority, but I wanna see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil. At this point I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”^[110]

In a closed-door hearing on June 27, a court in Khimki scheduled Griner’s trial to begin on July 1 and extended her detention by six months pending the outcome of her case, according to her lawyer, Alexander Boykov. She was photographed by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse arriving at the hearing; she had last been photographed at the May 13 hearing.^[111][112] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.^[113][114] On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden approved a possible trade for Griner and Paul Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout who has done 10 years on a 25-year sentence in the U.S.^[115]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

†	Denotes seasons in which Griner won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	27	27	25.9	.556	.000	.724	6.3	1.0	0.4	3.0°	1.7	14.5
2014†	Phoenix	34	34	30.7	.578	.000	.802	8.0	1.6	0.6	3.7°	1.9	15.6
2015	Phoenix	26	26	30.7	.565	.000	.773	8.1	1.3	0.3	4.0	2.1	15.1
2016	Phoenix	34	34	29.2	.548	.000	.831	6.5	1.0	0.3	3.1°	2.0	14.5
2017	Phoenix	26	26	31.5	.577	.000	.812	7.6	1.9	0.6	2.5°	2.4	21.9
2018	Phoenix	34	34	32.6	.544	.250	.800	7.7	2.1	0.5	2.6°	2.3	20.5
2019	Phoenix	31	31	32.8	.564	.333	.808	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0°	2.4	20.7°
2020	Phoenix	12	12	31.8	.497	.000	.809	7.5	3.0	0.3	1.8	2.5	17.7
2021	Phoenix	30	30	32.8	.575	.444	.846	9.5	2.7	0.4	1.9°	2.2	20.5
Career		254	254	30.9	.560	.353	.804	7.6	1.8	0.5	2.8	2.2	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	5	5	26.6	.533	.000	.556	6.4	0.2	0.2	0.8	1.6	10.6
2014†	Phoenix	7	7	31.0	.627	.000	.920	6.0	1.6	0.4	3.4°	1.8	16.7
2015	Phoenix	4	4	29.7	.583	.000	.885	8.0	1.3	0.7	4.5°	2.0	16.3
2016	Phoenix	5	5	31.2	.643	.000	.813	6.0	1.6	0.6	2.2	2.2	13.4
2017	Phoenix	5	5	36.8	.407	.000	.795	7.0	2.0	0.6	1.6	2.4	20.2
2018	Phoenix	7	7	36.4	.631	.000	.750	8.0	3.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	21.6
2019	Phoenix	1	1	13.8	.375	.000	.000	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	6.0
2021	Phoenix	11	11	35.1	.562	.000	.800	8.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	2.1	21.8
Career		45	45	32.5	.562	.000	.808	7.2	2.0	0.5	2.2	2.0	17.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders
• List of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

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57. ^ “2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team Roster”. USA Basketball. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
58. ^ “Brittney Griner”. usab.com. USA Basketball. October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
59. ^ Connors, Kaylee (June 21, 2021). “Mercury trio named to Olympic roster”. Cronkite News – Arizona PBS. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
60. ^ Jump up to:^a b Yolande Lezine, Another Honor For Brittney, February 17, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
61. ^ “PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR BASKETBALL”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
62. ^ “Griner Receives Honda Sports Award for WBB”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
63. ^ “Past Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Winners (Honda Cup)”. THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
64. ^ “The Wade Trophy”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
65. ^ “USBWA WOMEN’S HONORS”. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
66. ^ “Brittney Griner AAU Biography” (PDF). AAU Sports.
67. ^ “Brittney Griner – Women’s Basketball”. Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
68. ^ “Griner sets NCAA women’s mark with 8th dunk”. ESPN.com. November 18, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
69. ^ “Past WBCA HS Coaches’ All-America Teams”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
70. ^ Jump up to:^a b c “WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year”. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
71. ^ “Moore named MVP of 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, headlines All-Star Five”. FIBA.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
72. ^ “40 Under 40: Brittney Griner Wants Our Kids to Feel Hope”. Advocate.com. July 29, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
73. ^ “2014 espnW Impact 25”. espnW. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
74. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (April 18, 2013). “Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins dealt with bullies”. SI.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
75. ^ Jump up to:^a b Galehouse, Maggie (April 4, 2014). “Brittney Griner: independent at last”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
76. ^ Griner, Brittney; Hovey, Sue (April 8, 2014). In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court. Dey Street Books (HarperCollins). ISBN 9780062309341. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
77. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner on Being a Gay Athlete: I Felt Like Half of Me Wasn’t Accepted”. PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
78. ^ ESPN. ESPN Magazine (June 10, 2013) Taboo Issue – Britney Griner.
79. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d “Owning The Middle”. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
80. ^ Longman, Jeré (May 30, 2014). “Life Out Loud: ‘In My Skin,’ by Brittney Griner”. The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
81. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (July 27, 2020). “Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner will not be on court for National Anthem this season”. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
82. ^ “Brittney Griner says she will protest during the national anthem all season”. outsports.com. July 29, 2020.
83. ^ “WNBA players call on league to stop playing national anthem before games”. Fox News. July 28, 2020.
84. ^ Nichols, James (August 15, 2014). “Brittney Griner Proposes To Girlfriend Glory Johnson”. Huffington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
85. ^ Silver, Jake (August 15, 2014). “WNBA’s Brittney Griner Gets Engaged to Former Tennessee Vols Star Glory Johnson”. Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
86. ^ “WNBA star Brittney Griner arrested on assault and disorderly conduct”. Sports Illustrated. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
87. ^ “Mercury’s Brittney Griner arrested on assault allegations”. Azcentral.com. April 23, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
88. ^ “Former Lady Vol Glory Johnson, WNBA Star Brittney Griner wed on Phoenix mountaintop”. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
89. ^ “WNBA Wedding! Brittney Griner Marries Glory Johnson”. Us Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
90. ^ Mather, Victor (May 15, 2015). “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Suspended 7 Games in Domestic Violence Case”. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
91. ^ “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Expecting First Child”. People. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
92. ^ Toomey, Alyssa (June 15, 2015). “Glory Johnson “Really Saddened” by Brittney Griner Split Amid Pregnancy, Clears Up Fertility Rumors”. E! News. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
93. ^ azcentral sports staff (June 6, 2015). “Report: Mercury’s Brittney Griner files for annulment”. azcentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
94. ^ Rayne, Naja (December 1, 2020). “Glory Johnson Opens Up About Tumultuous Relationship and Sudden Split With Brittney Griner: ‘I Trusted This Person'”. People. Retrieved March 6, 2022. The judge on their case ultimately denied an annulment, leaving the two women to file for divorce.
95. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Brittney Griner ordered to pay child support to Glory Johnson”. ESPN. April 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
96. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Ortiz, Jenna; Scott, Dana; Horos, Emily (March 10, 2022). “Brittney Griner detained in Russia: What to know about WNBA star’s life spent in spotlight”. USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
97. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 6, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Posts 1st Statement on Detainment”. The Advocate. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
98. ^ Crowley, Michael; Abrams, Jonathan (March 5, 2022). “Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia”. The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
99. ^ Mackay, Duncan (March 6, 2022). “American double Olympic basketball gold medallist arrested on drugs charges in Moscow”. InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
100. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (March 6, 2022). “Former Pentagon official: Russia could use WNBA star Brittney Griner as ‘high-profile hostage'”. Yahoo! News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
101. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Fears grow Russia could use US basketball star Brittney Griner as ‘hostage'”. The Guardian. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
102. ^ “Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands release of WNBA star, Houston native Brittney Griner in Russia”. Yahoo! News. March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
103. ^ Sterling, Wayne; Yan, Holly; Tucker, Emma (March 7, 2022). “It’ll be ‘very difficult’ to get detained US basketball star Brittney Griner out of Russia, lawmaker says”. CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
104. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner arrest extended to May 19: Russian media”. aljazeera. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
105. ^ “WNBA star Griner in ‘good condition’ in Russian detention: US”. aljazeera. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
106. ^ Abrams, Jonathan; Crowley, Michael (May 3, 2022). “U.S. Government Says Brittney Griner Was ‘Wrongfully Detained'”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
107. ^ “Brittney Griner’s pretrial detention in Russia has been extended by a month, Russian state news reports”. CNN. May 13, 2022.
108. ^ “Griner detention extended; U.S. skeptical of talks”. ESPN.com. May 13, 2022.
109. ^ Shoaib, Alia. “Basketball star Brittney Griner could be brought home in a prisoner swap with a notorious arms dealer dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death,’ Russian media says”. Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
110. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (May 25, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife Says She Wants WNBA Star Home In First Public Interview”. HuffPost. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
111. ^ Chernova, Anna; Andone, Dakin (June 28, 2022). “Russian court schedules start of Brittney Griner’s trial for Friday, her lawyer says”. CNN. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
112. ^ Saul, Derek (June 27, 2022). “New Photos Show Brittney Griner In Russian Court As Trial Date Is Set For July 1”. Forbes. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
113. ^ Dixon, Robyn (July 7, 2022). “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge in Russian Court”. The Washington Post.
114. ^ McKinley, Edward (July 7, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s guilty plea doesn’t mean what you think it does. A legal expert explains”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
115. ^ CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan, CNN, Kylie Atwood, Evan Perez and Jennifer Hansler, July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links

• Brittney Griner at WNBA
• Brittney Griner at FIBA 
• Brittney Griner on Facebook
• Brittney Griner on Twitter
• Brittney Griner on Instagram
• Brittney Griner at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived) 
• griner42.com

showvtePhoenix Mercury current roster

showBrittney Griner–awards, championships and honors

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Brittney Griner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search

Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019
No. 42 – Phoenix Mercury
Position	Center
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	October 18, 1990 (age 31) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Nimitz (Houston, Texas)
College	Baylor (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–present	Phoenix Mercury
2013–2014	Zhejiang Golden Bulls
2014–present	UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2014)8× WNBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021, 2022)2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)8× WNBA blocks leader (2013–2019, 2021)WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)3× Russian National League champion (2015–2017)4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)Russian Cup winner (2017)NCAA champion (2012)NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)AP Player of the Year (2012)Honda Sports Award (2012)2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)Second-team All-American – AP (2010)3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011–2013)4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010–2013)McDonald’s All-American (2009)WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
hideMedalsWomen’s basketballRepresenting the  United StatesOlympic Games2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam2020 TokyoTeamWorld Cup2014 Turkey2018 Spain

Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy at the WBCA Awards show in Denver Colorado 2012.

Brittney Yevette Griner (born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[1] She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.^[2][3] She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.^[4] In 2012, the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation’s No. 1 high school women’s basketball player by Rivals.com.^[5] She was selected to the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American basketball team.^[6] In 2012, she received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. In 2013, Griner signed an endorsement deal with Nike.^[7] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wears a men’s U.S. size 17 shoe and has an arm span of 87.5 in (222 cm).^[8][5]

Griner was on the United States women’s Olympic team in 2016, and led them to victory at the Rio Olympics.^[9] In 2020, Griner protested the Star Spangled Banner and stated she wouldn’t be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.^[10][11] In 2021, Griner was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

Griner is one of 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship.

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage. She had been entering Russia to play with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason. Her trial began on July 1, and she pled guilty to the charges.

Contents

• 1Early life and high school career
• 2College career
  • 2.1College statistics
• 3Professional career
  • 3.1WNBA
  • 3.2Overseas
• 4National team career
• 5Honors
• 6Personal life
  • 6.1Marriages and domestic violence case
  • 6.22022 arrest in Russia
• 7WNBA career statistics
  • 7.1Regular season
  • 7.2Playoffs
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Early life and high school career

Griner was born in Houston, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former Harris County sheriff and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three older siblings.^[12]

Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. In addition to lettering in basketball throughout high school, she played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk.^[13] During her junior season, a YouTube video featuring her dunks was watched more than 6.6 million times,^[14] leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal.^[15]

During her senior year, Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game, where Nimitz lost 52–43 to Mansfield Summit High School. Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.^[16] Houston mayor Bill White declared May 7, 2009, Brittney Griner Day.^[17] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.^[15] In her 2008–09 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record.^[18]

Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.^[19]

College career

Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a freshman, Griner’s 223 blocked shots set the all-time single-season record, establishing her as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball history.^[20] On December 16, 2009, Griner recorded Baylor’s first triple-double^[21] with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots. In January 2010, she became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game,^[22] and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game, making the second and third dunks of her college career^[23] in a lopsided 99–18 victory against Texas State University.

On March 3, 2010, Griner and Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle were battling for position near the lane. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle’s nose. Griner was then ejected from the game. Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey then imposed another one-game suspension in addition to the one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules.^[24][25]

Baylor entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, and knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49–33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas.^[26] In the Elite Eight, Baylor defeated Duke 51–48, and Griner blocked 9 shots, totaling 35 for the tournament, a new NCAA Women’s Tournament record. Duke’s Alison Bales had held the previous record of 30 blocks in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Tournament.^[27] Baylor reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70–50. Griner was named an AP Second Team All-American.^[28]

As a sophomore, Griner received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game, including a career-high 40 points against Green Bay in the Sweet 16.^[29]

In her junior season, Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.^[29] She blocked more shots than any other Division I women’s team that season.^[30] Griner was named AP Player of the Year^[31] and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.

On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80–61 over Notre Dame. Griner was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins, the most in NCAA history.^[32]

After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp.^[33]

Her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.^[34]

College statistics

†	NCAA championship
	NCAA record

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009–10	Baylor	35	35	33.5	.503	.000	.684	8.5	1.0	0.5	6.4	2.8	18.4
2010–11	Baylor	37	37	31.8	.543	.500	.777	7.8	1.4	0.4	4.6	2.1	23.0
2011–12†	Baylor	40	40	32.7	.609	.500	.800	9.5	1.6	0.6	5.2	1.7	23.2
2012–13	Baylor	36	36	30.3	.607	.000	.712	9.4	2.4	0.7	4.1	1.9	23.8
Career	148	148	32.0	.569	.400	.747	8.8	1.6	0.5	5.1	1.4	22.2

Year	Rebounds	Blocks	Points	Notable stats.
Total	Season high	Total	Season high	Total	Season high
2009–10	297	21	223	14	644	34	NCAA record for blocks in a season
2010–11	290	15	170	10	852	40
2011–12†	379	15	206	9	929	45
2012–13	339	15	149	7	858	50
Career	1,305	748	3,283	NCAA record for career blocks (men and women)

Professional career

WNBA

Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

The only international female players surpassing her height are the late Margo Dydek, at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Bernadett Határ, at 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.096 m), and Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m).

2013

In the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the first overall pick. Griner would flourish in her rookie season, being named a WNBA all-star and would be a dominant defensive force in the league, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against Chicago Sky, Griner equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker‘s career total.^[35] She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.^[36] Despite the All-Star vote, Griner missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, she was replaced by Tina Thompson.^[37]

In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the opportunity, but no offer to try out was extended by the team.^[38]

2014

In the 2014 season, Griner’s stats would improve, as she averaged 15.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.^[39] On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93–68, at Staples Center.^[40]

The 2014 season would be a historic season for the Mercury with the combination of Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree as the dominant Big 3 to carry the team plus the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Mercury finished 29–5, setting the WNBA record for most wins in a regular season. They made it all the way to the WNBA finals and swept the Chicago Sky 3 games to 0, to capture the Mercury’s third championship in franchise history.^[41] During the series, Griner set WNBA finals records in game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).Griner performing a layup in 2017

2015

In the 2015 season, despite missing the first seven games due to a suspension stemming from her domestic violence case, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in the 1998 season. Although the Mercury were playing without their all-star guard Diana Taurasi (who sat out the season to play overseas), the Mercury still made it to the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks (along with 18 points and 8 rebounds) in a game 1 victory against the Tulsa Shock, whom she also had 11 blocks against in a regular season game the year before.^[42] The Mercury advanced to the second round where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx who won the championship that year.

2016

In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury had a more successful playoff run. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16–18. During the season, Griner had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.^[43] With the WNBA’s new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league as they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the number 3 seeded New York Liberty, Griner had 22 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win. The Mercury advanced to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-5 series but would get swept 3–0.Griner and the Mercury guarding Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx in 2018

2017

On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.^[44] In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career thus far. On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.^[45] Griner would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury (replaced by Rebekkah Brunson), but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mercury finished with an 18–16 record as the number 5 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69, advancing to the second round. Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury were eliminated by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

2018

In 2018, Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. On August 18, 2018, Griner scored a season-high 33 points along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 104–95 victory over the Atlanta Dream.^[46] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year. The Mercury finished off the season 20–14 with the number 5 seed in the league.

In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83. Griner scored 17 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. Down 2–0, the Mercury came back to tie up the series 2–2. In game 5, the Mercury lost 94–84, ending their season.

2019

In 2019, Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky.^[47] By the end of the season, Griner led the league in the scoring for the second time in her career and would continue to lead the league in blocks for the seventh straight season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury were eliminated 105–76 by the Chicago Sky in the first round elimination game. Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

2020

The 2020 season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 12 games played, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons.^[48] Without Griner, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed. They would make it as far as the second round where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the elimination game.

Overseas

Griner plays overseas in the WNBA off-season.^[49] In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the Mercury.^[50] In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.^[51][52]

In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season.^[53] In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season,^[54] and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season.

National team career

In September 2011, Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. national team as part of its European training tour. Griner was the only college player in the group.^[55] She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the U.S. team in Europe.^[33]

Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.^[56] Excluding Griner, the average age on the finalists roster was approximately 30 years, while Griner was 22 years old at the time of the Olympics. Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.^[57]

In 2016, she played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and NCAA title, joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list.^[58]

Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.^[59]

Honors

Along with being selected as the number one high school player in the country by Rivals.com, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN‘s Rise magazine,^[60] and was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the 2009 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.^[60] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. She was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball^[61][62] and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.^[63]

She was the 2012 recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the best female NCAA Division I basketball player who embodies the “Spirit of Margaret Wade.”^[64] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. The award is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top Division I women’s player.^[65]

Among other accolades, Griner is credited with bringing the women’s game more attention due to her ability to dunk.^[66] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.^[67] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women’s dunks leader.^[68]

• 2009—WBCA High School Coaches’ All-America Team^[69]
• 2011—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2012—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2013—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2014—FIBA World Championship All-Star Five^[71]

In 2014, Griner was included as part of the Advocate’s annual “40 under 40” list.^[72]

She was also named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25 in 2014.^[73]

Personal life

In an interview with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner publicly came out as a lesbian.^[74] She also revealed in the interview that she was bullied as a child, explaining, “It’s hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” She said she is very passionate about working with children in order to bring attention to the issue of bullying, particularly against LGBT people.^[74] Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.^[75] She would later write a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.^[75][76]

In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”^[77] In 2013, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. She appeared in “The Taboo Issue”.^[78] She is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are “misunderstood”.^[79] She says, “You just have to look at it in a different way.”^[79]

Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete.^[80] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as “menswear” for Nike.^[79] Nike spokesman Brian Strong said of signing Griner, “We can’t get into specifics, but it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with her because she breaks the mold.”^[79]

In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. She made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida. Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.^[81] She said later during a media teleconference, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”^[82] She said she does not believe that the national anthem should be played at sporting events.^[83]

Marriages and domestic violence case

On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.^[84][85] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.^[86][87] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix.^[88][89] On May 15, 2015, the WNBA suspended Griner and Johnson for seven games each after Griner pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges. Griner was also required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.^[90]

On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins,^[91] conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization.^[92] The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress;^[93] the annulment was denied.^[94] Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature.^[95] Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson.^[95] The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.^[96]

Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018,^[97] and they married in June 2019.^[96] Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.^[96]

2022 arrest in Russia

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Security Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.^[98][99] Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine; former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas feared Griner could be used as a “high-profile hostage” for Russia.^[100][101] Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for her release.^[102][101] In an interview with CNN, California Democratic Representative John Garamendi said that it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia. He stated that although there might be negotiations to have her released, they would be stymied by the fact that diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States were strained because of the invasion of Ukraine.^[103]

In mid-March, Russian state broadcaster TASS reported that a Moscow court had extended the period of Griner’s detention while under investigation until May 19, with an official from the Russian Public Monitoring Commission stating that “the only objective problem has turned out to be the basketball player’s height. The beds in the cell are clearly intended for a person of lesser height.”^[104] On March 23, the United States Department of State stated that an American diplomatic official had been able to visit Griner in detention, reporting that she was “in good condition.”^[105]

In early May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being “wrongfully detained”, indicating a more aggressive approach towards securing her release.^[106] On May 13, CNN reported that Russian courts extended her pre-trial detention to June 18.^[107] Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Griner had been in detention for nearly three months.^[108] On May 15, it was reported that the United States and Russia would consider a prisoner swap, with Russia exchanging Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.^[109]

In May 2022, in her first public interview since Griner was detained, Griner’s wife Cherelle spoke to Good Morning America, where she called Griner a “political pawn”.^[110] Cherelle stated she has heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating, “I was grateful for the call, you say she’s top priority, but I wanna see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil. At this point I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”^[110]

In a closed-door hearing on June 27, a court in Khimki scheduled Griner’s trial to begin on July 1 and extended her detention by six months pending the outcome of her case, according to her lawyer, Alexander Boykov. She was photographed by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse arriving at the hearing; she had last been photographed at the May 13 hearing.^[111][112] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.^[113][114] On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden approved a possible trade for Griner and Paul Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout who has done 10 years on a 25-year sentence in the U.S.^[115]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

†	Denotes seasons in which Griner won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	27	27	25.9	.556	.000	.724	6.3	1.0	0.4	3.0°	1.7	14.5
2014†	Phoenix	34	34	30.7	.578	.000	.802	8.0	1.6	0.6	3.7°	1.9	15.6
2015	Phoenix	26	26	30.7	.565	.000	.773	8.1	1.3	0.3	4.0	2.1	15.1
2016	Phoenix	34	34	29.2	.548	.000	.831	6.5	1.0	0.3	3.1°	2.0	14.5
2017	Phoenix	26	26	31.5	.577	.000	.812	7.6	1.9	0.6	2.5°	2.4	21.9
2018	Phoenix	34	34	32.6	.544	.250	.800	7.7	2.1	0.5	2.6°	2.3	20.5
2019	Phoenix	31	31	32.8	.564	.333	.808	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0°	2.4	20.7°
2020	Phoenix	12	12	31.8	.497	.000	.809	7.5	3.0	0.3	1.8	2.5	17.7
2021	Phoenix	30	30	32.8	.575	.444	.846	9.5	2.7	0.4	1.9°	2.2	20.5
Career		254	254	30.9	.560	.353	.804	7.6	1.8	0.5	2.8	2.2	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	5	5	26.6	.533	.000	.556	6.4	0.2	0.2	0.8	1.6	10.6
2014†	Phoenix	7	7	31.0	.627	.000	.920	6.0	1.6	0.4	3.4°	1.8	16.7
2015	Phoenix	4	4	29.7	.583	.000	.885	8.0	1.3	0.7	4.5°	2.0	16.3
2016	Phoenix	5	5	31.2	.643	.000	.813	6.0	1.6	0.6	2.2	2.2	13.4
2017	Phoenix	5	5	36.8	.407	.000	.795	7.0	2.0	0.6	1.6	2.4	20.2
2018	Phoenix	7	7	36.4	.631	.000	.750	8.0	3.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	21.6
2019	Phoenix	1	1	13.8	.375	.000	.000	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	6.0
2021	Phoenix	11	11	35.1	.562	.000	.800	8.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	2.1	21.8
Career		45	45	32.5	.562	.000	.808	7.2	2.0	0.5	2.2	2.0	17.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders
• List of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds

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89. ^ “WNBA Wedding! Brittney Griner Marries Glory Johnson”. Us Weekly. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
90. ^ Mather, Victor (May 15, 2015). “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Suspended 7 Games in Domestic Violence Case”. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
91. ^ “Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Expecting First Child”. People. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
92. ^ Toomey, Alyssa (June 15, 2015). “Glory Johnson “Really Saddened” by Brittney Griner Split Amid Pregnancy, Clears Up Fertility Rumors”. E! News. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
93. ^ azcentral sports staff (June 6, 2015). “Report: Mercury’s Brittney Griner files for annulment”. azcentral. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
94. ^ Rayne, Naja (December 1, 2020). “Glory Johnson Opens Up About Tumultuous Relationship and Sudden Split With Brittney Griner: ‘I Trusted This Person'”. People. Retrieved March 6, 2022. The judge on their case ultimately denied an annulment, leaving the two women to file for divorce.
95. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Brittney Griner ordered to pay child support to Glory Johnson”. ESPN. April 25, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
96. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Ortiz, Jenna; Scott, Dana; Horos, Emily (March 10, 2022). “Brittney Griner detained in Russia: What to know about WNBA star’s life spent in spotlight”. USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
97. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 6, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Posts 1st Statement on Detainment”. The Advocate. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
98. ^ Crowley, Michael; Abrams, Jonathan (March 5, 2022). “Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia”. The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
99. ^ Mackay, Duncan (March 6, 2022). “American double Olympic basketball gold medallist arrested on drugs charges in Moscow”. InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
100. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (March 6, 2022). “Former Pentagon official: Russia could use WNBA star Brittney Griner as ‘high-profile hostage'”. Yahoo! News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
101. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Fears grow Russia could use US basketball star Brittney Griner as ‘hostage'”. The Guardian. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
102. ^ “Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands release of WNBA star, Houston native Brittney Griner in Russia”. Yahoo! News. March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
103. ^ Sterling, Wayne; Yan, Holly; Tucker, Emma (March 7, 2022). “It’ll be ‘very difficult’ to get detained US basketball star Brittney Griner out of Russia, lawmaker says”. CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
104. ^ “WNBA’s Brittney Griner arrest extended to May 19: Russian media”. aljazeera. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
105. ^ “WNBA star Griner in ‘good condition’ in Russian detention: US”. aljazeera. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
106. ^ Abrams, Jonathan; Crowley, Michael (May 3, 2022). “U.S. Government Says Brittney Griner Was ‘Wrongfully Detained'”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
107. ^ “Brittney Griner’s pretrial detention in Russia has been extended by a month, Russian state news reports”. CNN. May 13, 2022.
108. ^ “Griner detention extended; U.S. skeptical of talks”. ESPN.com. May 13, 2022.
109. ^ Shoaib, Alia. “Basketball star Brittney Griner could be brought home in a prisoner swap with a notorious arms dealer dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death,’ Russian media says”. Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
110. ^ Jump up to:^a b Feinberg, Doug (May 25, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s Wife Says She Wants WNBA Star Home In First Public Interview”. HuffPost. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
111. ^ Chernova, Anna; Andone, Dakin (June 28, 2022). “Russian court schedules start of Brittney Griner’s trial for Friday, her lawyer says”. CNN. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
112. ^ Saul, Derek (June 27, 2022). “New Photos Show Brittney Griner In Russian Court As Trial Date Is Set For July 1”. Forbes. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
113. ^ Dixon, Robyn (July 7, 2022). “WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge in Russian Court”. The Washington Post.
114. ^ McKinley, Edward (July 7, 2022). “Brittney Griner’s guilty plea doesn’t mean what you think it does. A legal expert explains”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
115. ^ CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan, CNN, Kylie Atwood, Evan Perez and Jennifer Hansler, July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links

• Brittney Griner at WNBA
• Brittney Griner at FIBA 
• Brittney Griner on Facebook
• Brittney Griner on Twitter
• Brittney Griner on Instagram
• Brittney Griner at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived) 
• griner42.com

showvtePhoenix Mercury current roster

showBrittney Griner–awards, championships and honors

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Brittney Griner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search

Griner with the Phoenix Mercury in 2019
No. 42 – Phoenix Mercury
Position	Center
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	October 18, 1990 (age 31) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Nimitz (Houston, Texas)
College	Baylor (2009–2013)
WNBA draft	2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career	2013–present
Career history
2013–present	Phoenix Mercury
2013–2014	Zhejiang Golden Bulls
2014–present	UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
WNBA champion (2014)8× WNBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2021, 2022)2× WNBA scoring champion (2017, 2019)8× WNBA blocks leader (2013–2019, 2021)WNBA Peak Performer (2017, 2019)3× All-WNBA First Team (2014, 2019, 2021)3× All-WNBA Second Team (2015, 2017, 2018)2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2014, 2015)3× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2014, 2015, 2018)4× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)WNBA All-Rookie Team (2013)WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)3× Russian National League champion (2015–2017)4× EuroLeague champion (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)Russian Cup winner (2017)NCAA champion (2012)NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2012)AP Player of the Year (2012)Honda Sports Award (2012)2× Wade Trophy Player of the Year (2012, 2013)2× First-team All-American – AP (2011, 2012)Second-team All-American – AP (2010)3× Big 12 Player of the Year (2011–2013)4× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2010–2013)McDonald’s All-American (2009)WBCA High School Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
hideMedalsWomen’s basketballRepresenting the  United StatesOlympic Games2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam2020 TokyoTeamWorld Cup2014 Turkey2018 Spain

Brittney Griner accepting Wade Trophy at the WBCA Awards show in Denver Colorado 2012.

Brittney Yevette Griner (born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).^[1] She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.^[2][3] She is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.^[4] In 2012, the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation’s No. 1 high school women’s basketball player by Rivals.com.^[5] She was selected to the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American basketball team.^[6] In 2012, she received the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. In 2013, Griner signed an endorsement deal with Nike.^[7] Standing 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) tall, Griner wears a men’s U.S. size 17 shoe and has an arm span of 87.5 in (222 cm).^[8][5]

Griner was on the United States women’s Olympic team in 2016, and led them to victory at the Rio Olympics.^[9] In 2020, Griner protested the Star Spangled Banner and stated she wouldn’t be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.^[10][11] In 2021, Griner was named to the United States women’s national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

Griner is one of 11 women to receive an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA championship, a FIBA World Cup gold medal and a WNBA championship.

In February 2022, Griner was detained by Russian customs after cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her luggage. She had been entering Russia to play with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA offseason. Her trial began on July 1, and she pled guilty to the charges.

Contents

• 1Early life and high school career
• 2College career
  • 2.1College statistics
• 3Professional career
  • 3.1WNBA
  • 3.2Overseas
• 4National team career
• 5Honors
• 6Personal life
  • 6.1Marriages and domestic violence case
  • 6.22022 arrest in Russia
• 7WNBA career statistics
  • 7.1Regular season
  • 7.2Playoffs
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

Early life and high school career

Griner was born in Houston, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. Her father is a former Harris County sheriff and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three older siblings.^[12]

Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. In addition to lettering in basketball throughout high school, she played varsity volleyball as a freshman. Starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team, and worked with a Nimitz football coach to develop her leg strength in preparation for learning to dunk.^[13] During her junior season, a YouTube video featuring her dunks was watched more than 6.6 million times,^[14] leading to a meeting with Shaquille O’Neal.^[15]

During her senior year, Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game, where Nimitz lost 52–43 to Mansfield Summit High School. Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.^[16] Houston mayor Bill White declared May 7, 2009, Brittney Griner Day.^[17] On November 11, 2008, she recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hastings, the most ever recorded by a female in a high school game in the U.S.^[15] In her 2008–09 season, she recorded 318 blocks, a single-season record.^[18]

Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.^[19]

College career

Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a freshman, Griner’s 223 blocked shots set the all-time single-season record, establishing her as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball history.^[20] On December 16, 2009, Griner recorded Baylor’s first triple-double^[21] with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots. In January 2010, she became only the seventh player to dunk during a women’s college basketball game,^[22] and only the second woman to dunk twice in a single college game, making the second and third dunks of her college career^[23] in a lopsided 99–18 victory against Texas State University.

On March 3, 2010, Griner and Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle were battling for position near the lane. As a foul was being called on Barncastle, Griner took two steps forward and threw a right-handed roundhouse punch which broke Barncastle’s nose. Griner was then ejected from the game. Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey then imposed another one-game suspension in addition to the one-game suspension mandated by NCAA rules.^[24][25]

Baylor entered the NCAA Tournament as a 4th seed, and knocked off top-seeded Tennessee in the Sweet 16. On March 22, Griner set an NCAA tournament record with 14 blocked shots in a 49–33 win against the Georgetown Hoyas.^[26] In the Elite Eight, Baylor defeated Duke 51–48, and Griner blocked 9 shots, totaling 35 for the tournament, a new NCAA Women’s Tournament record. Duke’s Alison Bales had held the previous record of 30 blocks in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Tournament.^[27] Baylor reached the Final Four, before losing to eventual-champion UConn, 70–50. Griner was named an AP Second Team All-American.^[28]

As a sophomore, Griner received First Team All-American honors after averaging 23 points a game, including a career-high 40 points against Green Bay in the Sweet 16.^[29]

In her junior season, Griner averaged 23.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5 blocks per game.^[29] She blocked more shots than any other Division I women’s team that season.^[30] Griner was named AP Player of the Year^[31] and The 2012 Premier Player of Women’s College Basketball.

On April 3, 2012, Griner led Baylor with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 80–61 over Notre Dame. Griner was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Baylor finished its undefeated season with 40 wins, the most in NCAA history.^[32]

After winning the championship on April 3, 2012, Griner decided to withdraw her candidacy for a roster spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. A month later Griner broke her wrist after jumping off her skateboard when she was going down a ramp.^[33]

Her college career came to an end in the 2013 NCAA women’s basketball tournament when Baylor lost to the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16.^[34]

College statistics

†	NCAA championship
	NCAA record

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2009–10	Baylor	35	35	33.5	.503	.000	.684	8.5	1.0	0.5	6.4	2.8	18.4
2010–11	Baylor	37	37	31.8	.543	.500	.777	7.8	1.4	0.4	4.6	2.1	23.0
2011–12†	Baylor	40	40	32.7	.609	.500	.800	9.5	1.6	0.6	5.2	1.7	23.2
2012–13	Baylor	36	36	30.3	.607	.000	.712	9.4	2.4	0.7	4.1	1.9	23.8
Career	148	148	32.0	.569	.400	.747	8.8	1.6	0.5	5.1	1.4	22.2

Year	Rebounds	Blocks	Points	Notable stats.
Total	Season high	Total	Season high	Total	Season high
2009–10	297	21	223	14	644	34	NCAA record for blocks in a season
2010–11	290	15	170	10	852	40
2011–12†	379	15	206	9	929	45
2012–13	339	15	149	7	858	50
Career	1,305	748	3,283	NCAA record for career blocks (men and women)

Professional career

WNBA

Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

The only international female players surpassing her height are the late Margo Dydek, at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Bernadett Határ, at 6 feet 10.5 inches (2.096 m), and Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m).

2013

In the 2013 WNBA Draft, the Phoenix Mercury selected Griner as the first overall pick. Griner would flourish in her rookie season, being named a WNBA all-star and would be a dominant defensive force in the league, averaging 3.0 blocks per game. In her debut on May 27, 2013, against Chicago Sky, Griner equaled the WNBA dunk record, recording two dunks to equal Candace Parker‘s career total.^[35] She thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.^[36] Despite the All-Star vote, Griner missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, she was replaced by Tina Thompson.^[37]

In April 2013, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Griner to the NBA, and Griner expressed interest in the opportunity, but no offer to try out was extended by the team.^[38]

2014

In the 2014 season, Griner’s stats would improve, as she averaged 15.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. On June 29, 2014, Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.^[39] On August 24, 2014, Griner became the first WNBA player to dunk in a playoff game when she helped the Mercury defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, 93–68, at Staples Center.^[40]

The 2014 season would be a historic season for the Mercury with the combination of Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree as the dominant Big 3 to carry the team plus the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Mercury finished 29–5, setting the WNBA record for most wins in a regular season. They made it all the way to the WNBA finals and swept the Chicago Sky 3 games to 0, to capture the Mercury’s third championship in franchise history.^[41] During the series, Griner set WNBA finals records in game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).Griner performing a layup in 2017

2015

In the 2015 season, despite missing the first seven games due to a suspension stemming from her domestic violence case, Griner would have the most prolific defensive season in WNBA history, averaging a career high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, surpassing Margo Dydek’s record back in the 1998 season. Although the Mercury were playing without their all-star guard Diana Taurasi (who sat out the season to play overseas), the Mercury still made it to the playoffs. In the 2015 playoffs, Griner set a WNBA playoff record with 11 blocks (along with 18 points and 8 rebounds) in a game 1 victory against the Tulsa Shock, whom she also had 11 blocks against in a regular season game the year before.^[42] The Mercury advanced to the second round where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx who won the championship that year.

2016

In the 2016 season, with the return of Diana Taurasi, the Mercury had a more successful playoff run. En route to the playoffs, Griner averaged 14.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game as the Mercury finished 16–18. During the season, Griner had recorded the sixth triple-double in WNBA history in a win against the Atlanta Dream where she had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.^[43] With the WNBA’s new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league as they faced the Indiana Fever in the first round.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the number 3 seeded New York Liberty, Griner had 22 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the win. The Mercury advanced to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) against the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-5 series but would get swept 3–0.Griner and the Mercury guarding Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx in 2018

2017

On March 12, 2017, Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.^[44] In 2017, Griner would have the best season of her career thus far. On June 7, 2017, Griner scored a career-high 38 points along with 9 rebounds in a 98–90 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.^[45] Griner would miss 8 games of the season and the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game due to an ankle and knee injury (replaced by Rebekkah Brunson), but finished off the season leading the league in scoring with 21.9 points per game and also lead the league in blocks for the fifth consecutive season.

The Mercury finished with an 18–16 record as the number 5 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm 79–69, advancing to the second round. Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 88–83 and advanced to the semi-finals. Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury were eliminated by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

2018

In 2018, Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career. She was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance. On August 18, 2018, Griner scored a season-high 33 points along with 18 rebounds and 7 blocks in a 104–95 victory over the Atlanta Dream.^[46] This season was also her first season shooting from beyond the arc. Griner also led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year. The Mercury finished off the season 20–14 with the number 5 seed in the league.

In the first round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83. Griner scored 17 points in the win. In the second round elimination game, the Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, advancing to the semi-finals for the third year in a row, they would face off against the Seattle Storm. Down 2–0, the Mercury came back to tie up the series 2–2. In game 5, the Mercury lost 94–84, ending their season.

2019

In 2019, Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance. On August 25, 2019, Griner scored a season-high 34 points in a 94–86 loss to the Chicago Sky.^[47] By the end of the season, Griner led the league in the scoring for the second time in her career and would continue to lead the league in blocks for the seventh straight season. The Mercury finished with a 15–19 record and the number 8 seed. In the first round elimination game, the Mercury were eliminated 105–76 by the Chicago Sky in the first round elimination game. Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

2020

The 2020 season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 12 games played, Griner left the bubble for undisclosed personal reasons.^[48] Without Griner, the Mercury finished 13–9 as the number 5 seed. They would make it as far as the second round where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the elimination game.

Overseas

Griner plays overseas in the WNBA off-season.^[49] In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the Mercury.^[50] In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships.^[51][52]

In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season.^[53] In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season,^[54] and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season.

National team career

In September 2011, Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the U.S. national team as part of its European training tour. Griner was the only college player in the group.^[55] She averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the U.S. team in Europe.^[33]

Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team finalists roster.^[56] Excluding Griner, the average age on the finalists roster was approximately 30 years, while Griner was 22 years old at the time of the Olympics. Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.^[57]

In 2016, she played for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics and earned her first Olympic gold medal as they beat Spain 101–72 in the final, becoming one of 11 players who have earned an Olympic gold medal, FIBA World Cup gold medal, WNBA title, and NCAA title, joining Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, and Kara Wolters on the list.^[58]

Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.^[59]

Honors

Along with being selected as the number one high school player in the country by Rivals.com, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN‘s Rise magazine,^[60] and was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the 2009 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.^[60] Griner also won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete. She was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball^[61][62] and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.^[63]

She was the 2012 recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the best female NCAA Division I basketball player who embodies the “Spirit of Margaret Wade.”^[64] She was the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in 2012, and again in 2013. The award is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the nation’s top Division I women’s player.^[65]

Among other accolades, Griner is credited with bringing the women’s game more attention due to her ability to dunk.^[66] She holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.^[67] She passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women’s dunks leader.^[68]

• 2009—WBCA High School Coaches’ All-America Team^[69]
• 2011—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2012—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2013—WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year^[70]
• 2014—FIBA World Championship All-Star Five^[71]

In 2014, Griner was included as part of the Advocate’s annual “40 under 40” list.^[72]

She was also named one of ESPNW’s Impact 25 in 2014.^[73]

Personal life

In an interview with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner publicly came out as a lesbian.^[74] She also revealed in the interview that she was bullied as a child, explaining, “It’s hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” She said she is very passionate about working with children in order to bring attention to the issue of bullying, particularly against LGBT people.^[74] Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.^[75] She would later write a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.^[75][76]

In a 2019 interview with People, Griner stated, “People tell me I’m going to break the barrier and trailblaze. I just kind of look at it like, I’m just trying to help out, I’m just trying to make it not as tough for the next generation.”^[77] In 2013, Griner was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine. She appeared in “The Taboo Issue”.^[78] She is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are “misunderstood”.^[79] She says, “You just have to look at it in a different way.”^[79]

Her endorsement deal with Nike was the first time the company had signed such a deal with an openly gay athlete.^[80] Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as “menswear” for Nike.^[79] Nike spokesman Brian Strong said of signing Griner, “We can’t get into specifics, but it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with her because she breaks the mold.”^[79]

In 2020, Griner, along with teammate Brianna Turner, called for the WNBA to stop playing the United States national anthem before the games. She made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida. Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.^[81] She said later during a media teleconference, “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”^[82] She said she does not believe that the national anthem should be played at sporting events.^[83]

Marriages and domestic violence case

On August 14, 2014, Griner got engaged to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson.^[84][85] On April 22, 2015, they were both arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after police responded to a fight between the two in their suburban home in Phoenix, Arizona. Both had sustained some injuries.^[86][87] Despite this incident, they married the following month on May 8, 2015, in Phoenix.^[88][89] On May 15, 2015, the WNBA suspended Griner and Johnson for seven games each after Griner pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges. Griner was also required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.^[90]

On June 4, 2015, Griner and Johnson revealed that Johnson was pregnant with twins,^[91] conceived with Johnson’s eggs through in vitro fertilization.^[92] The following day, and after less than a month of marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage citing fraud and duress;^[93] the annulment was denied.^[94] Johnson gave birth to twin girls on October 12, 2015, 16 weeks premature.^[95] Griner was ordered to pay child support to Johnson.^[95] The couple’s divorce was finalized in June 2016.^[96]

Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018,^[97] and they married in June 2019.^[96] Watson later changed her name to Cherelle Griner.^[96]

2022 arrest in Russia

On February 17, 2022, Griner was arrested on drug charges in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Security Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia.^[98][99] Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Russia may be using her as leverage in response to the Western sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine; former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas feared Griner could be used as a “high-profile hostage” for Russia.^[100][101] Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called for her release.^[102][101] In an interview with CNN, California Democratic Representative John Garamendi said that it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia. He stated that although there might be negotiations to have her released, they would be stymied by the fact that diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States were strained because of the invasion of Ukraine.^[103]

In mid-March, Russian state broadcaster TASS reported that a Moscow court had extended the period of Griner’s detention while under investigation until May 19, with an official from the Russian Public Monitoring Commission stating that “the only objective problem has turned out to be the basketball player’s height. The beds in the cell are clearly intended for a person of lesser height.”^[104] On March 23, the United States Department of State stated that an American diplomatic official had been able to visit Griner in detention, reporting that she was “in good condition.”^[105]

In early May 2022, the U.S. State Department stated that they had determined Griner was being “wrongfully detained”, indicating a more aggressive approach towards securing her release.^[106] On May 13, CNN reported that Russian courts extended her pre-trial detention to June 18.^[107] Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. Griner had been in detention for nearly three months.^[108] On May 15, it was reported that the United States and Russia would consider a prisoner swap, with Russia exchanging Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout.^[109]

In May 2022, in her first public interview since Griner was detained, Griner’s wife Cherelle spoke to Good Morning America, where she called Griner a “political pawn”.^[110] Cherelle stated she has heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating, “I was grateful for the call, you say she’s top priority, but I wanna see it. And I feel like to see it would be me seeing BG on U.S. soil. At this point I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”^[110]

In a closed-door hearing on June 27, a court in Khimki scheduled Griner’s trial to begin on July 1 and extended her detention by six months pending the outcome of her case, according to her lawyer, Alexander Boykov. She was photographed by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse arriving at the hearing; she had last been photographed at the May 13 hearing.^[111][112] During the trial on July 7, Griner pled guilty and then said, “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.” Griner requested to give testimony to the court as soon as she has had sufficient time to prepare.^[113][114] On July 27, 2022, President Joe Biden approved a possible trade for Griner and Paul Whelan for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout who has done 10 years on a 25-year sentence in the U.S.^[115]

WNBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career high	°	League leader

†	Denotes seasons in which Griner won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	27	27	25.9	.556	.000	.724	6.3	1.0	0.4	3.0°	1.7	14.5
2014†	Phoenix	34	34	30.7	.578	.000	.802	8.0	1.6	0.6	3.7°	1.9	15.6
2015	Phoenix	26	26	30.7	.565	.000	.773	8.1	1.3	0.3	4.0	2.1	15.1
2016	Phoenix	34	34	29.2	.548	.000	.831	6.5	1.0	0.3	3.1°	2.0	14.5
2017	Phoenix	26	26	31.5	.577	.000	.812	7.6	1.9	0.6	2.5°	2.4	21.9
2018	Phoenix	34	34	32.6	.544	.250	.800	7.7	2.1	0.5	2.6°	2.3	20.5
2019	Phoenix	31	31	32.8	.564	.333	.808	7.2	2.4	0.7	2.0°	2.4	20.7°
2020	Phoenix	12	12	31.8	.497	.000	.809	7.5	3.0	0.3	1.8	2.5	17.7
2021	Phoenix	30	30	32.8	.575	.444	.846	9.5	2.7	0.4	1.9°	2.2	20.5
Career		254	254	30.9	.560	.353	.804	7.6	1.8	0.5	2.8	2.2	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2013	Phoenix	5	5	26.6	.533	.000	.556	6.4	0.2	0.2	0.8	1.6	10.6
2014†	Phoenix	7	7	31.0	.627	.000	.920	6.0	1.6	0.4	3.4°	1.8	16.7
2015	Phoenix	4	4	29.7	.583	.000	.885	8.0	1.3	0.7	4.5°	2.0	16.3
2016	Phoenix	5	5	31.2	.643	.000	.813	6.0	1.6	0.6	2.2	2.2	13.4
2017	Phoenix	5	5	36.8	.407	.000	.795	7.0	2.0	0.6	1.6	2.4	20.2
2018	Phoenix	7	7	36.4	.631	.000	.750	8.0	3.1	0.7	2.2	1.7	21.6
2019	Phoenix	1	1	13.8	.375	.000	.000	3.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	6.0
2021	Phoenix	11	11	35.1	.562	.000	.800	8.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	2.1	21.8
Career		45	45	32.5	.562	.000	.808	7.2	2.0	0.5	2.2	2.0	17.8

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball career triple-doubles leaders
• List of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

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External links

• Brittney Griner at WNBA
• Brittney Griner at FIBA 
• Brittney Griner on Facebook
• Brittney Griner on Twitter
• Brittney Griner on Instagram
• Brittney Griner at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived) 
• griner42.com

showvtePhoenix Mercury current roster

showBrittney Griner–awards, championships and honors

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• This page was last edited on 28 July 2022, at 10:22 (UTC).
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