Brittney Griner and Wife Cherelle Are Expecting Their First Baby: 'Coming Soon'

In an exciting Instagram announcement, WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, shared they are expecting their first child.

The couple expressed their joy in the post, stating, "Can't believe we're less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being 🤍 #BabyGrinerComingSoon #July2024," alongside a picture of them holding hands and an ultrasound image.

The couple's journey to this moment began over a decade ago when they first met while attending Baylor University from 2009 to 2013. Though their relationship didn't start until years later, their connection ultimately led to their marriage in June 2019, nearly one year after Brittney proposed to Cherelle.

The couple faced a challenging period in February 2022 when Brittney was detained in Russia during the off-season for drug charges. She spent months in Russian custody, including a trial, before being sentenced to nine years in prison. Her situation garnered international attention and led to a global movement advocating for her release.

Brittney announced plans to write a memoir about her detainment. The memoir, published by the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group imprint, will detail her journey from Olympic champion to prisoner and explore the global #WeAreBG movement. Additionally, it will address the issue of pay equity for women athletes in the United States, which led Griner to play in Russia.

Last April, Alfred A. Knopf announced it will publish the WNBA star's as-of-yet untitled memoir in spring 2024.

In a press release, the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group imprint shared that Griner "shares her raw, emotional journey from Olympic champion to hostage to her life today." The novel will recount the tumultuous events of 2022 "that both reshaped her life and captured the world's attention..." The book will take readers through the 33-year-old's arrest at a Russian airport in February 2022, her detainment, trial and imprisonment in Russia, as well as "the efforts in public and behind the scenes at the highest levels of government to bring her home."

Griner's memoir will also highlight the beginnings of the global #WeAreBG movement, as well as "the issue of pay equity for women athletes in the United States - the very inequity that led Griner to play basketball in Russia for seven previous seasons and to return for an eighth on that fateful February day."

Griner will also describe her "stark and surreal time living in a foreign prison and the terrifying aspects of day-to-day life in a women's penal colony. At the heart of the book, Griner highlights the personal turmoil she experienced during the nearly 10-month ordeal and the resilience that carried her through to the day of her return to the United States last December."

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