Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player who plays as a Center for the WNBA team Phoenix Mercury. Griner was selected as the first overall pick in the WNBA draft in 2013 and has played a few seasons of her career abroad in Russia and China. Griner is well known for being the only NCAA player to score 2000 points and block 500 shots.
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Griner’s career came into contention when she was arrested and detained by Russian customs officials on smuggling charges after the officials recovered less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil from her luggage in 2022. Hash oil is illegal in Russia, and subsequently, Russian courts found the WNBA player guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
The US officials argued that Griner was detained under wrongful charges. She returned to the United States on December 8, 2022, after she was released following a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Many fans have often wondered how much the WNBA star is worth today.
Date of Birth: October 18, 1990
Age: 33
Net Worth: $5 million
Nationality: American
Marital Status: Married
Early Life
Brittney Griner was born on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas, to a Harris County deputy sheriff and Vietnam War veteran, Raymond Griner, and mother, Sandra Grinner. She has three older siblings: D, Shkera, and Pier.
High School and College Career
Brittney Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston, where she played basketball throughout high school. Aside from basketball, Griner also played varsity volleyball during her freshman year. She earned a reputation for her powerful dunks, even setting a record of making seven dunks in a single game against Aldine High School.
During her high school career, Griner recorded 25 blocks in a game against Houston Alief Hasting, the most ever recorded by a female in any American high school game. She was named a WBCA All-American in 2009 and led her team in the WBCA High School All-America Game by scoring 20 points and 9 rebounds. Griner finished the 2009-10 season with a single-season record of 318 blocks.
Brittney’s incredible prowess in high school earned her a scholarship at Baylor University, Texas. As a freshman, the future WNBA first-overall pick recorded 223 blocked shots, setting an all-time single-season record and establishing herself as one of the greatest shot blockers in women’s basketball.
She led her team to win the NCAA championship in 2012 and was also awarded the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player the same year. Griner is also a 2x recipient of the Wade Trophy, a 2 First-team All-American, and a 3x Big -12 Player of the Year.
WNBA and professional career
Griner was a touted prospect for the 2013 NBA draft and was selected as the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury. She is one of the tallest players in WNBA history, with only Margo Dydek, Bernadett Hatar, and Han Xu surpassing her height. After her arrival, Griner led the Phoenix Mercury to a historic season, helping the team win the WNBA championship in 2014. During the Finals series against Chicago Sky, Griner set WNBA records in Game 1 for most blocks in a game (8) and most blocks in a quarter (5).
Griner has also played several seasons overseas during the WNBA off-season. She has most notably played for the Beijing Great Wall and Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China’s CBA and, most recently, appeared for the UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League.
Salary
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Brittney Griner earns an average salary of around $227,000. She is on a one-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury, earning her $165,000 by the end of the 2023-24 season. She had previously signed a four-year and a three-year contract in 2017 and 2020, which earned her average annual salary of $138,500 and $221,515, respectively.
Net Worth
As per Celebrity Net Worth, Brittney Griner’s net worth is currently around $5 million.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What did Brittney Griner have?
Brittney Griner was arrested and detained in Russia in 2022 on charges of possessing illegal vape cartridges containing less than a gram of hash oil.
- Does Brittney Griner have kids?
In 2015, Griner announced that her partner Glory Johnson was pregnant with twins, conceived from Johnson’s eggs through IVF. Just a month after their marriage, Griner filed for an annulment of the marriage, citing fraud and duress, though the annulment was denied. Johnson gave birth to twin girls in October 2016, for which Griner was ordered to pay child support. The couple finalized their divorce in June 2016.
- How many vape cartridges did Griner have?
The Russian authorities recovered two vape cartridges from Griner, which she had bought for personal use. The cartridges contained 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of hash oil, respectively.
- What is Brittney Griner famous for?
She is famous for being one of the greatest shotblockers in WNBA history. However, her popularity skyrocketed after the US argued for her wrongful detention by Russian authorities. After being released, Griner reappeared for the Phoenix Mercury on May 19, 2023, and was received warmly with standing ovations by the audience.
