WNBA Star Brittney Griner, Wife Cherelle Welcome First Child

WNBA star Brittney Griner and wife Cherelle Griner have welcomed a baby boy.

Brittney Griner revealed the news during an appearance Friday on the CBS Sports show We Need to Talk. The 33-year-old athlete, who made headlines in 2022 when she was arrested in Russia for cannabis possession, shared that their son was born July 8. The couple had previously stated their plans to name the child Bash.

“He is amazing,” Griner told We Need to Talk. “They say as soon as you see him, everything that you thought mattered just goes out the window, and that’s literally what happens.”

The athlete, who plays center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, is set to compete on the U.S. women’s national basketball team this summer at the Paris Olympics. Griner previously won gold with the team in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

“It kind of sucks because I’ve got to leave, but at the same time, he’ll understand,” said Griner, who noted that she planned to have the child call her “Pops.” She added, “My whole phone is turned into him now.”

Cherelle Griner had been sharing photos to Instagram during her pregnancy. “Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being,” she posted in April, adding the hashtag #BabyGrinerComingSoon. The couple got married in June 2019.

Brittney Griner was released in December 2022 from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner swap following her arrest in February of that year on drug charges. The Hollywood Reporter reported in December that Griner’s Russian detention was set to be the subject of an ESPN documentary and a potential scripted series from ABC Signature.