WNBA Star and 2x Olympic gold medallist Brittney Griner is one of the most talented and prominent players in the history of female basketball. Griner was the first openly gay athlete to sign a deal with Nike.
Griner has also openly discussed the struggles of being a gay African-American woman in 2014–In My Skin: My Life on and off the Basketball Court. In 2022, she was detained in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison for smuggling drugs.
Following Griner's detainment in Russia, her wife, Cherelle Watson, fought for her release. Griner returned to the WNBA in 2023, averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
The couple announced in April 2024 that they were expecting a child. The two are excited to build a family together. But before that, let’s meet Brittney Griner’s parents.
Who are Brittney Griner’s parents?
Raymond and Sandra Griner met and got married in Texas. They welcomed two daughters, Pier and Brittney. Raymond had two children in his old relationship, DeCarlo and SheKera. The couple decided to create a blended family and settled in Houston’s Bellewood area.
The Phoenix Mercury star is close with her siblings, but the age gap created different experiences for all of them. In her ‘In My Skin: My Life on and off the Basketball Court’ memoir, Brittney wrote about her older siblings DeMarco and SheKena, “They have always been great to me, and we consider each other full blood, but it’s not like we were all running around the yard, playing games, living under the same roof.”
She continued to write about how her sister Per was no different because of their differences as well.
“Pier was a total girly girl, and I was all rough-and-tumble. She was always in the house, talking on the phone, playing with dolls, watching Saved by the Bell, while I was outside wrestling with the dog in the mud,” she wrote.
Brittney is close to her parents. She said that her mom became the calm that she needed in her life. Sandra was the one who taught her how to crochet and sew, something that they considered a mother-daughter bond.
Sandra was diagnosed with lupus during Brittney’s freshman year. Of course, it was a sad moment for the family, especially to Brittney who considered her mom her rock.
“My mom is the one person who has always been there for me, no matter what, loving me without question, just giving and giving,” Brittney wrote.
She added:
“She has always let me be me, let me figure out who I am, when so many other people were telling me who I should be. I have never felt judged by her. Never.”
As for her father, Brittney bonded with him over cars. As a matter of fact, Brittney is proud to call herself a ‘daddy’s girl.’
Their father-daughter bond included auto-repair skills like changing oil and repairing brakes. When Brittney was in high school, Raymond bought her a 2006 Dodge Magnum.
The two are also grandparents now. While Brittney already had twins with her ex-wife, Glory Johnson, who is a fellow WNBA player, they are very excited to welcome Brittney and Cherelle’s first child together.
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