Brittney Griner

Early Life and a Houston Foundation

Brittney Griner was born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner. She did not pick up a basketball until her freshman year at Nimitz High School, but the game found her quickly. By her sophomore season she was practicing against the boys' team, and a viral video of her dunking during her junior year drew national attention, including a meeting with Shaquille O'Neal. Rivals.com named her the nation's top high school player in 2009, the same year the mayor of Houston declared a Brittney Griner Day. She led Nimitz to the Texas 5A state championship game as a senior, setting the stage for a college recruitment that would end at Baylor University.

College Dominance and a Perfect Season

Griner's four years in Waco redefined what a center could do on a women's basketball court. She finished her Baylor career with 3,283 points, 1,305 rebounds and an NCAA record 748 blocks, becoming the only player in NCAA history to reach 2,000 points and 500 blocks. The signature moment arrived in 2012, when she anchored a 40-0 season and a national championship, closing it out with 26 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in the title game to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. She won the Naismith Trophy, the Wooden Award and AP Player of the Year twice, in 2012 and 2013, cementing her status as the most decorated player in Baylor history before she ever played a professional game.

WNBA Rise With Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury made Griner the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, and she rewarded that investment almost immediately, helping deliver a WNBA championship in just her second season, 2014, while setting a Finals record with eight blocks in a single game. Over eleven seasons in Phoenix, Griner became the defining rim protector of her generation, leading the league in blocks eight times and winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015. She earned nine All-Star selections in a Mercury uniform, twice led the WNBA in scoring, and built a career that, by 2024, had produced averages of 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game across more than a decade of stardom.

Overseas Career and a Return Home

Griner's game also carried her across the globe during WNBA offseasons, with stops at Zhejiang Golden Bulls, Beijing Great Wall and, from 2015 to 2022, UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, where she won three Russian League titles and four EuroLeague championships. That chapter took a harrowing turn on February 17, 2022, when Griner was detained at a Moscow-area airport after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage. She was convicted that August and sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony, a case the U.S. State Department classified as a wrongful detention. On December 8, 2022, after months of negotiations, Griner was released in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. She returned to the Mercury in 2023 to a standing ovation and, the following year, capped her comeback with a third Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games, helping Team USA edge France in the final.

Recent Seasons and a Lasting Legacy

After eleven seasons as the only WNBA team she had known, Griner tested free agency and signed with the Atlanta Dream in February 2025, closing out that chapter with career-low averages as she adjusted to a new system. She moved on again in 2026, signing with the Connecticut Sun, and that season she claimed the record that mattered most to her: on June 22, 2026, she passed Margo Dydek to become the WNBA's all-time leader in blocks. Injuries, including a left knee issue that limited her availability late in the season, have tempered her role, but her impact on the sport is already secure. An eleven-time All-Star, a 2014 WNBA champion, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, Brittney Griner has spent more than a decade reshaping what dominance at the center position looks like, both in the WNBA and on the international stage, while her comeback from detention in Russia stands as one of the defining stories in modern sports.

FAQs About Brittney Griner

A: Griner meets all WNBA eligibility requirements and is under contract as an active player, currently with the Connecticut Sun. Viral claims suggesting she has been barred or suspended from the league are unfounded and have been debunked by fact-checkers.

A: Brittney Griner stands 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm) tall, according to WNBA and Basketball-Reference listings. Her height and wingspan have made her one of the most dominant rim protectors in league history.

A: No. Brittney Griner is a woman; claims suggesting otherwise are internet rumors that have been repeatedly debunked and are not supported by any official record.

A: After fouling out of a May 2025 game against the Indiana Fever, Griner was caught on camera saying something fans speculated was directed at Caitlin Clark. Griner later denied using an offensive term, saying she couldn't recall her exact words but that "there's no place for that" in the league.

A: Yes, on two occasions: a seven-game suspension in 2015 following a domestic violence arrest, and a three-game suspension in 2019 for her role in an on-court fight. No other official league suspensions have been confirmed.

A: No, Brittney Griner does not have a twin brother. She has three older siblings — Decarlo, Shkera and Pier — and the twin-brother claim is a persistent but false online rumor.

A: No official ban exists. Griner won her third Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Games, and claims of an Olympic ban circulating online have been debunked as false.

A: Griner was detained in Russia on February 17, 2022, and released on December 8, 2022, in a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout — roughly 10 months in custody, including time served after her nine-year sentence.

A: No officially verified direct quote from O'Neal specifically about Griner is confirmed. What is documented is that a viral video of her high school dunks drew O'Neal's attention and led to a meeting between the two.

A: Brittney Griner wears a men's U.S. size 17 or 18 shoe, a detail frequently cited alongside her 6-foot-9 frame.

A: During a May 22, 2025 Dream-Fever game, Griner fouled out and was recorded saying something on the bench that went viral, with many assuming it was directed at Clark. Griner denied making any offensive remark, saying she was reacting to the foul call.

A: No. Griner has stated she has no plans to retire, signing a one-year deal with the Connecticut Sun for 2026 and saying publicly that she still has "a lot to go" in her career.

A: Griner signed a one-year, $1.19 million contract with the Connecticut Sun for the 2026 season, near the WNBA's new maximum salary under the current collective bargaining agreement.