WNBA star Brittney Griner has officially filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle Griner, bringing an end to a marriage that endured years of personal challenges, including the basketball star’s high-profile imprisonment in Russia.
Court documents filed in Fulton County, Georgia, show that the Connecticut Sun center is seeking to legally dissolve the marriage, stating that the relationship has become “irretrievably broken.”
Court Documents Outline Custody and Property Requests
According to the filing, the couple separated on July 24 after deciding to end their relationship.
Griner is requesting joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s two-year-old son while asking the court to divide their marital assets fairly.
She is also seeking to retain ownership of her separate property, including assets acquired before the marriage and any inherited property.
The pair had been married since 2019 after building a relationship that became widely known during one of the most difficult periods of Griner’s life.
Marriage Survived Russia Ordeal Before Breaking Down
The divorce marks a surprising turn for a couple whose relationship appeared to grow stronger during Griner’s detention in Russia.
In 2022, the basketball star was arrested after customs officials discovered cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.
Griner later described the incident as an accidental oversight while packing for her trip.
She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, becoming one of the most prominent American detainees held during heightened tensions between Russia and the United States.
Griner Once Offered Her Wife a Chance to Walk Away
During her imprisonment, Griner admitted she feared the lengthy sentence would permanently alter their future together.
She revealed in an earlier interview that she wrote to Cherelle after receiving her prison sentence, telling her she understood if she wanted to move on with her life given the possibility of spending nearly a decade behind bars.
Instead, Cherelle refused to abandon the relationship and remained one of Griner’s strongest supporters throughout the ordeal, offering unwavering encouragement until her eventual release.
Prisoner Swap Ended Nearly 10 Months in Captivity
Griner returned to the United States after spending almost 10 months in Russian custody.
Her freedom came through a high-profile prisoner exchange in which the U.S. government secured her release in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Following her return home, Griner became an outspoken advocate for Americans detained overseas, using her platform to campaign for the release of other U.S. citizens imprisoned in Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich, who were later freed in 2024.
Career Continues to Reach New Heights
Despite the personal challenges surrounding her divorce, Griner remains one of the WNBA’s biggest stars.
After spending the first 12 seasons of her professional career with the Phoenix Mercury and capturing a WNBA championship in 2014, she joined the Atlanta Dream for the 2025 campaign before signing with the Connecticut Sun as a free agent.
Her latest contract reportedly exceeds $1 million, reflecting the league’s improved salary structure under its current collective bargaining agreement and marking another milestone in her accomplished basketball career.
A New Chapter On and Off the Court
As Griner continues her basketball career with Connecticut, the divorce proceedings signal the beginning of another major transition in her personal life.
While the legal process will determine issues surrounding custody and the division of property, the filing closes a chapter that included extraordinary public challenges, remarkable resilience, and years of unwavering support during one of the most widely followed stories in modern women’s sports.
