Brittney Griner is completely in love with her baby
Brittney Griner has left behind the tough times in Russian imprisonment. The Olympics are next for the US-American basketball player, who aims to win her third gold medal. Before that, she experienced pure happiness: Her wife gave birth to their first child.
The formerly imprisoned American basketball player Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle have become parents for the first time. Wife Cherelle gave birth to a son on July 8, as Griner revealed in the podcast "She Knows Sports." In April, the couple, who have been married since June 2019, announced their pregnancy on Instagram.
"That's my man. He's incredible. They say when you see him, everything that was important to you is blown away. And that's literally what happened," Griner said, who aims to win her third Olympic gold medal with the US team in Paris. That she can't see her son for a while is nerve-wracking: "But he'll understand. My entire phone has transformed into him now."
Griner's US Team faces off against Germany
Griner had also played for the Russian club UGMK Yekaterinburg besides her WNBA career, but was arrested at the Moscow airport in February 2022 on charges of drug possession. She had Vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage. She spent nearly ten months in prison, and was sentenced to nine years for drug smuggling and possession.
In December 2022, Griner was released in a prisoner exchange for the Russian weapons dealer Viktor Bout. US President Joe Biden also advocated for her release. In her book "Coming Home," she shared details about her harrowing experiences in Russia.
At the Olympics, Griner's US team will face off against the German team in the group stage. Before the tournament, the German women's team, featuring star player Satou Sabally, will play a test match against the US team on July 23 in London. The US team has won the gold medal at every Olympics since 1996.
Griner's focus has shifted from her challenging experience in Russian imprisonment to the upcoming Olympics, where she hopes to contribute to her team's third consecutive gold medal in Basketball. Despite her excitement, she misses spending time with her newborn son, born to her wife Cherelle, due to her commitment to the sport.
