- Brittney Griner, 35, garnered an estimated net worth of $5 million from her contract with Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, offseason deals with Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA in China, and UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, and endorsement with Nike
- As of 2022, she is earning an average annual salary of $227,900, whereas she has made more from her offseason deals in China and Russia which stood at $600,000 and $1.5 million, respectively
- In 2016, the 2-time basketball Olympic gold medalist was ordered to continue paying $2,665.81 monthly as child support for Ava Simone and Solei Diem, the twin girls birthed by her estranged wife Glory Johnson
Griner represented her country at the international level, helping them to win gold at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In addition, she was part of the US women’s basketball team that won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Turkey and Spain respectively.
Bio Of Brittney Griner
She is the youngest of four children born to her parents, Raymond Griner and Sandra Griner in Houston, Texas on 18th October 1990. Her three older siblings include Shkera Griner, Decario Griner, and Pier Griner.
The 35 year-old started playing basketball while attending Nimitz High School in Houston. while there, she established herself as an excellent player after helping her high school basketball team (Nimitz Cougars) to reach the Texas 5A girls basketball championship. Unfortunately, they were defeated by Mansfield Summit High School.
Before she left high school, the 2-time women’s basketball Olympic gold medalist earned a spot in the WBCA All-American game for her stellar performances.
How Did She Make Her Fortune?
The 35 year-old earned from her professional basketball career and also through endorsement deals.
Griner started making money when she was selected by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Although it is not clear how much she was receiving as a rookie, reports reveal that what she earned offseason playing for Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China was 12-times more than what she made with Phoenix Mercury.
Similarly, the 4-months contract she reportedly signed with the Chinese outfit was worth $600,000. Going by this, it is obvious that she was receiving about $50,000 in her rookie season in the WNBA.
In March 2017, she signed a 3-year $339,000 contract extension with Phoenix Mercury. When the deal expired in 2020, she extended it by another 3 years for $664,544, plus a yearly average salary of $221,515. The amount went up to $227,900 in 2022.
Whereas she was said to have made about $1.5 million from her offseason contract with UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. Over and above that, she once signed a lucrative deal with Nike reported to be worth $1 million.
All these puts together contribute to Griner’s net worth of $5 million.
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Did She Lose Money?
In 2016, Griner’s strange wife Glory Johnson asked her to pay the sum of $20,000 in spousal support including $10,000 for attorney fees. However, Johnson’s request was denied by the Superior court commissioner of Maricopa County, Jacki Ireland.
The legal battle started after the pair’s marriage came to an end in 2016 following the birth of their twin girls, Ava Simone and Solei Diem. Johnson gave birth to the twins at 24 weeks through in vitro fertilization with her egg and donor’s sperm.
To survive, they needed adequate medical attention and care. As result, Griner paid $2,665.81 a month in support.
Griner’s Collegiate and Professional Basketball Career
College
The 7-time WNBA All-Star started her collegiate career with the Baylor Lady Bears at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she went on to set new records. As a freshman, Griner set a record of 223 blocked shots in one season. Additionally, she recorded the team’s first triple-double after 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots in the Big 12 Conference in December 2009.
A month later, she became one of seven players to dunk in a women’s basketball game, the second woman to dunk twice in a single game. She made her entrance into the NCCA Tournament after helping Baylor to beat Tennesse in the Sweet 16. Moreover, she went on to set a new NCCA Tournament record with 14 blocked shots.
During her sophomore year, she averaged 23.2 points per game, plus a career-high 40 points. These feats earned her First Team All-American honors. She ended her collegiate career in 2013 after helping Baylor win the championship in April 2012.
Club And Country
Her professional basketball career began when she was selected as the first overall pick by Phoenix Mercury in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Griner had an incredible rookie season, breaking and setting new records. She established herself as one of the best defensive forces in the WNBA with an average of 3.0 blocks per game and in addition, she was named a WNBA All-star.
On her debut, she equaled Candance Parker’s WNBA dunk record of two dunks. She kept improving on her stats with each passing year.
While she spent time playing in the WNBA for Phoenix Mercury, during the offseason, Griner played for teams in China and Russia. first, she signed a with the Chinese side, Zhejiang Golden Bulls, and later UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia.
At the country level, she featured in some international tournaments for the US women’s national basketball team. Griner was part of the team that won goal medals at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Turkey (2014) and Spain (2018).
Here is a list of her major accolades.
Fast Facts About Brittney Griner
- She was arrested on 17th February 2022 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Russia after she was found in possession of vaporizer cartridges containing hashish oil, and if found guilty, she could spend 10 years in prison.
- Griner is married to Cherelle Griner since 2019, after her marriage to fellow WNBA basketball, Glory Johnson was annulled in 2016.
- At 6ft 9in (2.06m), she is the 4th tallest female basketball player in the world behind Margo Dydyek (7ft 2in, 2.18m), Bernadett Határ (6ft 10.5in, 2.096m) and Han Xu (6ft 10in, 2.08m).
- The 3-Time All-WNBA First Team was arrested in April 2015 alongside her ex-wife Glory Johnson on charges of assault and disorderly conduct following a brawl between the two in their home.
- She publicly came out as a lesbian in February 2013, revealing in an interview how she was bullied as a child because of her sexual orientation.
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