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Culture July 31, 2026

Brittney Griner files for divorce from wife Cherelle Griner

WATCH: Brittney Griner discusses the moment she learned she was going home

WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from wife Cherelle Griner after eight years of marriage.

The Connecticut Sun player filed for divorce on Thursday in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.

The petition states that the couple, who were married in June 2018, have been been separated since July 24, 2026, and that the marriage "is irretrievably broken" with "no hope of reconciliation."

The petition asks that Brittney and Cherelle Griner be awarded joint physical custody of their son Bash, whom they welcomed in 2024.

Additionally, Brittney Griner is seeking an "equitable division" of all marital debts and assets, "both real and personal, tangible and intangible," according to the petition.

In a statement to ABC News, an attorney for Brittney Griner wrote, "This is a matter we hope the parties can resolve privately. There is no further comment at this time."

ABC News has reached out to Cherelle Griner for comment.

The divorce comes four years after Brittney Griner was taken into custody by Russian authorities at a Moscow airport in 2022 after being accused of possessing vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia.

The WNBA star was subsequently detained for 10 months and sentenced to nine years in prison before being released as part of a prisoner swap in December 2022.

Cherelle Griner was a vocal advocate for her wife throughout her time in custody.

"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," Cherelle Griner, who is an attorney, told "Good Morning America" in a May 2022 interview.

In her first public message after returning to the United States following the prisoner exchange, Griner thanked her wife and the many others who had advocated for her release.

"It feels so good to be home!" she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post on Dec. 16, 2022. "The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help."