WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle welcomed their first child last week. The Phoenix Mercury star was prepping for the All-Star Game.
Their son was born on July 8, just weeks after their sixth anniversary. "He is amazing," Griner said.
"As soon as you see him, everything you thought mattered just goes out the window," Griner added. "That’s literally what happens."
Griner plans to have their son, named Bash, call her "Pops." She made this clear in her interview.
After the All-Star Game, Griner and the U.S. women’s national basketball team headed to London. They played one exhibition game before the Paris Olympics.
"It kind of sucks because I’ve got to leave, but at the same time, he’ll understand," the nine-time All-Star said. "My whole phone is turned into him now."
The last two years of Griner’s life have been turbulent. She was arrested on drug possession charges in Russia in 2022, before the Ukraine incursion.
Griner admitted to having cannabis oils as she returned to play for her Russian basketball team. She was jailed for about 10 months before a swap with convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner returned to the Mercury in 2023, playing 31 games and averaging 17.5 points per game. She was an All-Star then, too.
She is again part of the national basketball team, winning gold medals in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.