WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle, after claiming that their marriage is ‘irretrievably broken.’
The Connecticut Sun star officially submitted the court documents in Fulton County on Thursday, according to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The filing revealed that the couple, who had been married since 2019, officially separated on July 24 following a breakdown in their relationship.
Griner, 35, is seeking ‘joint legal and physical custody’ of the couple’s two-year-old son, while also requesting an equitable division of all marital assets.
The filing also says she ‘should be awarded her separate, nonmarital property, including but not limited to inherited property as well as premarital property.’
The split comes after the couple tied the knot back eight years ago. Cherelle stood by Griner’s side during her harrowing 2022 ordeal in Russia, where the basketball star was detained for nearly 10 months before being released in a prisoner swap.
WNBA star Brittney Griner filed for divorce from wife, Cherelle, after eight years of marriage
Griner, 35, is seeking ‘joint legal and physical custody’ of the couple’s two-year-old son
Customs discovered a small container of cannabis oil, which Griner later attributed to a ‘mental lapse’ on her part while she was packing to leave the US.
At the time, Griner revealed she gave her wife Cherelle an ‘out’ in their relationship after she was handed a nine-year sentence.
‘When I got sentenced to nine years, I wrote her a letter,’ Griner told Megan Rapinoe in a conversation for The Cut.
‘I’m a realist. I was just like, ‘Nine years is a long time, babe. I get it,’ basically giving her an out. I asked, ‘Can you still be my friend? Write me.’
‘She was like, ‘Don’t ever write anything like that again.’ She never wavered. When I finally got back she was so patient with me. There were so many times when I just wanted to be alone, and there were days when she couldn’t get me away from her.’
The incident happened at the onset of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Griner quickly became a significant trade chip in the geopolitical conflict.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in a Russian penal colony, but was freed when the Biden Administration swapped arms dealer Viktor Bout for the WNBA star.
Since her return, she has advocated for other Americans detained in Russia like former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
The update comes three years on from Griner’s harrowing experience in a Russian jail
Griner previously revealed she gave Cherelle an ‘out’ from their relationship when she was in a Russian prison – but her partner had stood by her side throughout the ordeal in 2022
The Biden Administration was able to negotiate their releases from Russia in 2024.
Griner spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Phoenix Mercury, winning a WNBA championship in 2014, before playing the 2025 season with the Atlanta Dream.
She joined the Connecticut Sun in free agency earlier this year.
ESPN reported that the deal is worth over $1 million – something made possible by the collective-bargaining agreement that provides higher salaries for WNBA players.
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