65 Facts About Brittney Griner

1.

Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association.

2.

Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the US women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star.

3.

Brittney Griner was additionally named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

4.

In 2009, Griner was named the nation's No 1 high school women's basketball player by Rivals.

5.

Brittney Griner was selected to the 2009 All-American basketball team.

6.

Brittney Griner played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas.

7.

Brittney Griner had a breakout senior year in 2012, as the three-time All-American was named the AP Player of the Year, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, led Baylor in winning the National Championship, and won the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award.

8.

Brittney Griner is the only NCAA basketball player to both score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.

9.

Professionally, Brittney Griner was selected as the first overall pick in 2013 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, with whom she won the 2014 WNBA championship.

10.

Brittney Griner led the US national women's basketball team to victory at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

11.

In 2020, Brittney Griner protested "The Star-Spangled Banner" and stated she would not be on the court while the national anthem was played during game openers.

12.

Brittney Griner was named to the national team for the 2020 Olympics, where she won her second gold medal.

13.

Brittney Griner is a two-time FIBA Women's World Cup winner with Team USA.

14.

On February 17,2022, Brittney Griner was detained and arrested on smuggling charges by Russian customs officials after cartridges containing less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil were found in her luggage.

15.

Brittney Griner had been playing basketball with the Russian Premier League during the WNBA off-season.

16.

In November 2022, Brittney Griner was transferred to the Russian penal colony IK-2.

17.

Brittney Griner has three older siblings, D, Shkera and Pier.

18.

Brittney Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games as a senior, setting a single-game record of seven dunks against Aldine High School.

19.

Brittney Griner was named a WBCA All-American and participated in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, leading the team by scoring 20 points and collecting 9 rebounds.

20.

Brittney Griner played college basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

21.

On December 16,2009, Brittney Griner recorded Baylor's first triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and Big 12 Conference record 11 blocked shots.

22.

Brittney Griner blocked more shots than any other Division I women's team that season.

23.

Brittney Griner was named AP Player of the Year and The 2012 Premier Player of Women's College Basketball.

24.

Brittney Griner thus became the third WNBA player to dunk and first to do so twice in one game.

25.

Brittney Griner was a dominant defensive force in the league over the season, averaging 3.0 blocks per game.

26.

Brittney Griner was named a WNBA All-Star, but missed the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game with a right knee injury, and was replaced by Tina Thompson.

27.

On June 29,2014, Brittney Griner had set a WNBA record with 11 blocks in a regular season game win against the Tulsa Shock, along with 21 points and 8 rebounds.

28.

The Mercury upset the Fever in the first round elimination game, as Brittney Griner had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

29.

On March 12,2017, Brittney Griner re-signed with the Mercury to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired.

30.

In 2017, Brittney Griner would have the best season of her career thus far.

31.

Brittney Griner scored 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win.

32.

Brittney Griner scored 26 points along with 9 rebounds in the win.

33.

In 2018, Brittney Griner played all 34 games for the third time in her career.

34.

Brittney Griner was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fifth all-star game appearance.

35.

Brittney Griner led the league in blocks for the sixth consecutive year.

36.

In 2019, Brittney Griner would be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her sixth career all-star game appearance.

37.

Brittney Griner left in the second half of the game with a knee injury.

38.

Brittney Griner scored the most points in the playoffs, 240 points, helping the Mercury beat the New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, the first seed Las Vegas Aces and helping the Mercury reach the WNBA finals, where they lost to the Chicago Sky in 4 games.

39.

Brittney Griner was named as the MVP of the 2014 WCBA All-Star Game.

40.

In September 2011, Brittney Griner spent two weeks playing under coach Geno Auriemma for the US national team as part of its European training tour.

41.

Brittney Griner averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the US team in Europe.

42.

Brittney Griner was the sole player still playing in college on the 2012 US Olympic women's basketball team finalists roster.

43.

Brittney Griner decided in April 2012 not to participate in the 2012 Olympics due to family illness and her school schedule.

44.

Brittney Griner was selected for her second Olympics in 2021, going undefeated and winning the gold medal as part of Team USA.

45.

Brittney Griner won the 2013 ESPY Award for best female college athlete.

46.

Brittney Griner was the 2012 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball and the overall Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.

47.

Brittney Griner holds the NCAA record for dunks in a career with 18 total dunks.

48.

Brittney Griner passed Candace Parker as the all-time NCAA women's dunks leader.

49.

In 2014, Brittney Griner was included as part of The Advocates annual "40 under 40" list.

50.

Brittney Griner was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25 in 2014.

51.

Brittney Griner had previously come out to her parents in high school, which her father did not accept gracefully, forcing her to live with an assistant coach for six weeks during her senior year.

52.

Brittney Griner later wrote a memoir with Sue Hovey addressing bullying and self-acceptance, In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, published in 2014.

53.

Brittney Griner is pictured holding a snake, which is her favorite animal because they are "misunderstood".

54.

Brittney Griner continues to push back on traditional gender roles as she regularly models clothes branded as "menswear" for Nike.

55.

Brittney Griner made her remarks after Mercury players refused to take the floor during a pre-season game in Bradenton, Florida.

56.

Brittney Griner said she was protesting the killing of Breonna Taylor as part of the wider George Floyd protests.

57.

Since her release from detention in Russia in December 2022, Brittney Griner has championed the return of others wrongfully detained in foreign countries.

58.

Brittney Griner was required to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling.

59.

Brittney Griner became engaged to Cherelle Watson in August 2018, and they married in June 2019.

60.

On February 17,2022, Brittney Griner was arrested on drug smuggling charges in Russia.

61.

Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport after the Federal Customs Service found she was carrying vaporizer cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil.

62.

The former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas expressed concern that Brittney Griner could be used as a "high-profile hostage" by Russia.

63.

In May 2022, the US State Department stated that they had determined Brittney Griner was being "wrongfully detained".

64.

Brittney Griner requested that she be allowed to give testimony to the court.

65.

Brittney Griner's family enlisted the help of Bring Our Families Home to appeal for her release.