Gigantic WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from the same woman who previously fought to have her freed from Russian custody.
As previously reported, Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison in 2022 after she was caught bringing what was essentially liquid marijuana (vapable marijuana) into the country.
Following her sentencing, the Biden administration began negotiating with Russia to secure her release.
During this time, Griner’s wife since June 2018, Cherelle Griner, fought hard on her behalf.
Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from her wife of 8 years, who fought for her release from Russian custody. pic.twitter.com/RJSrxdGpbe
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) July 31, 2026
“[Brittney] wrote me one letter and was like, ‘Babe, I know you wanna go down right now but like, don’t just yet,’” Cherelle told “Good Morning America” in May 2022. “I won’t go down until she’s back… Every single day matters for me to be sound, for me to be alert, for me to be attentive, to make sure that she comes back.”
Eventually, the Biden administration reached a deal whereby it’d exchange notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner.
In an ESPN interview, Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” later described exactly how the exchange occurred and what he said to Griner during it.
“So they put the two planes together, and then gave a short instruction, went down, and here you are. Somebody showed up from Russian side saying hi, [asking if] everything is fine, I said yes. So he identified me, and then a couple minutes afterward, the exchange literally happened,” he recounted.
“Immediately, I was little shocked of seeing her without her signature braids. She was way taller than me, and I just shake her hand and said, you know, I wish you good luck, and we both went to our planes,” he added.
Years later, Griner is now seeking divorce from Cherelle on the grounds that their marriage is “irretrievably broken,” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Court filings submitted this week in Georgia show that the couple has been separated since July 24.
The filings note that Griner is asking for “joint legal and physical custody” of their one child. The filing also asks for “an equitable division of all marital assets” and says that Griner “should be awarded her separate, nonmarital property, including but not limited to inherited property as well as premarital property.”
The filings were submitted despite Griner having wished Cherelle “the Best Mother and Spouse Happy Birthday” weeks earlier on Instagram:
Critics responded quite negatively to Griner’s divorce announcement.
“It’s crazy how someone can stand by your side through a literal Russian prison sentence and you still walk away from the marriage,” one critic opined on social media. “People really take unconditional love and loyalty for granted fr.”
“Somebody moved heaven and earth to pull you out of a Russian prison, and this is the thank-you?” another critic wrote. “Loyalty and gratitude aren’t seasonal. The one who fights for your freedom when it costs them everything earns more than a court filing.”
See more responses below:
Moving mountains to get somebody out of a Russian prison only for them to file for divorce is a level of plot twist.
— Jessicaeleri (@Jixie_e) July 31, 2026
You screamed for her freedom, traded a real arms dealer, and the second the cuffs came off she filed the papers.
— Quite Survivor (@storyrebuilt) July 31, 2026
She literally moved the U.S. government and traded a high profile arms dealer to pull you out of prison, just for you to file for divorce a couple of years later? Peak gratitude
— marchesssik (@0xmarchesss) August 1, 2026
This criticism parallels wider criticism over the Biden administration’s decision to give up a very notorious figure for a basketball player.
During an ESPN interview years earlier, Bout addressed this anger.
“Well, think of this, that the same outrage was in Russia when I was sentenced to 25 years. Many people would say, ‘For what? Just for talking? Are you serious?’” he said.
“There is not even a proper translation to Russian of the crime of conspiracy. We don’t have such even the legal term, So, this is this same kind of outrage in Russia about my case and about many other cases,” he added.
