Brittney Griner Files for Divorce From Wife Cherelle After 8 Years of Marriage

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is calling it quits on her marriage to Cherelle Griner, the woman who stood by her side during one of the most difficult chapters of her life.

According to court documents, Brittney filed for divorce on Thursday, listing July 24 as the couple’s date of separation. In the filing, she states that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.”

The couple married in June 2018 and have one child together. Throughout their relationship, Cherelle became widely recognized for tirelessly advocating for Brittney’s release after the basketball star was detained in Russia in 2022.

Brittney spent nearly 10 months in a Russian prison after being sentenced to nine years on drug charges related to cannabis oil cartridges before she was ultimately released in a high-profile prisoner exchange later that year.

In the divorce filing, Brittney is requesting joint legal custody of their child and is asking the court to determine whether child support should be awarded and, if so, in what amount.

While Brittney has continued her successful WNBA career, Cherelle has built her own career as an attorney and became a national figure during Brittney’s imprisonment, making countless media appearances and working with government officials to help bring her wife home.

The news comes as a surprise to many fans, given the public strength the couple displayed throughout Brittney’s legal ordeal overseas.

Neither Brittney nor Cherelle has publicly commented on the divorce filing.