Reading Time: 2 minutes
We interrupt the “problematic Caitlin Clark” discourse to bring you an unrelated WNBA controversy.
Just weeks after opening up about their journey to parenthood, Brittney and Cherelle Griner’s marriage has come to an end.
According to court records obtained by People, the WNBA star filed for divorce from her wife in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday, citing that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.”
The filing reportedly states that the couple separated on July 24. Griner is also requesting that the court establish a parenting plan for the couple’s 2-year-old son, Bash, as part of the divorce proceedings.
Neither Brittney nor Cherelle has publicly commented on the split.
The news comes as a surprise to many fans, particularly because the couple had recently been speaking openly about their relationship and the challenges they overcame while building their family.
Griner and Cherelle, an attorney, first met while attending Baylor University, but didn’t begin dating until years later.
They married in 2019 and became one of the WNBA’s most recognizable couples during Griner’s arrest in Russia in 2022.
Throughout Griner’s nearly 10-month imprisonment, Cherelle became the public face of the campaign to secure her wife’s release, regularly appearing in interviews and meeting with government officials to keep attention focused on the case.
Griner was ultimately freed in December 2022 in a high-profile prisoner exchange.
The couple welcomed their son, Bash, in July 2024, with Griner later describing motherhood as one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. Earlier this year, she said that coming home to her son’s smile instantly made even the toughest days better.
As recently as June, Brittney and Cherelle appeared together on the ANDMOM podcast, where they discussed the emotional toll Griner’s detention took on their plans to start a family through IVF.
Cherelle admitted they weren’t sure they were in the right emotional place when they moved forward with the process, while Griner reflected on writing a heartbreaking letter from prison, in which she encouraged her wife to move on if she never made it home. Cherelle refused, remaining committed throughout the ordeal.
That public display of resilience makes the divorce all the more unexpected.
For now, however, the reasons behind the split remain private.
Court documents reportedly cite only the standard legal grounds that the marriage is beyond repair, and neither Griner nor Cherelle has offered any additional explanation.
With a young son now at the center of their lives, attention will likely turn to how the former couple navigates co-parenting as the divorce moves through the legal process.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
