Former Atlanta Dream star Brittney Griner files for divorce, court records show
Former Atlanta Dream star and WNBA veteran Brittney Griner filed for divorce from her wife, Cherelle, in Fulton County on Thursday, court records show.
The couple have been married since 2019, according to news reports, although the court filing said they were married in 2018. They share a 2-year-old son.
Griner’s attorney, Randall Kessler, issued a brief statement Friday afternoon.
“This is a matter we hope the parties can resolve privately. There is no further comment at this time,” he said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The basketball player’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cherelle Griner could not be reached for comment.
Brittney Griner is seeking the divorce, saying the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” according to a court filing. The document said the two have been separated since July 24.
Earlier this month, Brittney Griner posted a loving birthday message to Cherelle Griner on Instagram, calling her wife “the best mother and spouse.” The six-slide post includes a picture of Cherelle Griner holding their son.
The filing states Brittney Griner is asking for “joint legal and physical custody” of the couple’s child. She also asks for “an equitable division of all marital assets” and says she “should be awarded her separate, nonmarital property, including but not limited to inherited property as well as premarital property,” the court document states. The AJC is the first to report on the court filing.
Brittney Griner joined the Dream in 2025 after spending the first 12 seasons of her career with the Phoenix Mercury, winning a championship in 2014.
She was detained and sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison in 2022 before being released months later as part of a prisoner swap for an international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.
Cherelle Griner advocated for her wife’s release in an emotional interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts in May 2022, sharing Brittney Griner’s fear of being forgotten as she was imprisoned overseas.
Brittney Griner currently plays for the Connecticut Sun after leaving the Dream in free agency earlier this year. However, she is still a resident of Georgia, according to the court document.
Cherelle Griner is also described as a resident of Fulton County in the filing.
Brittney Griner was briefly married to Glory Johnson, a former WNBA player, in 2015. The two made headlines when they were arrested and charged that April after an argument turned physical, The Associated Press previously reported. They were suspended for seven games, and Griner pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to USA Today.