WNBA star Brittney Griner files for divorce from wife

WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle Griner, ending a marriage that endured a high-profile international detention. Court records show Griner filed the petition in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, stating the marriage is "irretrievably broken."

The filing lists the couple's date of separation as July 24, 2026. Griner is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the couple's two-year-old son, Bash. She has also requested an equitable division of marital assets and debts, as well as the award of her separate, non-marital property.

Griner and Cherelle, who met while attending Baylor University, married in June 2018. Their relationship drew global attention in February 2022 when Griner was detained at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on drug charges.

Throughout the nearly ten-month ordeal, Cherelle Griner became a leading public advocate for her wife's release, urging U.S. officials to secure her freedom. She described the emotional toll of the separation and publicly thanked the...