The internet is a wild place, honestly. One day you're scrolling through highlights of a Phoenix Mercury game, and the next, you're hit with a barrage of weirdly specific questions about the personal life of one of the greatest athletes to ever hit the hardwood. Specifically, a lot of people have been asking: is Brittney Griner a biological father? It’s one of those topics that has morphed into a weird mix of genuine curiosity, total misinformation, and, frankly, some pretty invasive speculation.
Let’s just get the facts straight right out of the gate. Brittney Griner is a cisgender woman. She’s not a man, and she’s not a biological father. She has spent her entire life—from her childhood in Houston to her record-breaking years at Baylor and into the WNBA—identifying as a woman. But the reason this question keeps popping up isn’t just out of nowhere. It’s tied to a messy public divorce, some very confusing legal battles over child support, and a new, much happier chapter with her wife, Cherelle Griner.
If you've followed the WNBA for a while, you know the Griner saga has more twists than a soap opera. Between the Olympic gold medals and that terrifying 10-month detention in a Russian prison, her family life has often been front-page news.
The Roots of the Confusion: The Glory Johnson Era
Back in 2015, things got incredibly complicated. Brittney married fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson. It was a whirlwind. Seriously, they were married for only 28 days before Griner filed for an annulment. But here’s the kicker: just one day before the split, the couple announced they were expecting twins.
Glory Johnson eventually gave birth to twin girls, Ava and Solei, in October 2015. Because the children were conceived through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) during the marriage, the legal system got involved in a big way. This is where the "father" terminology started getting thrown around—mostly in a legal sense, not a biological one.
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- The IVF Factor: The twins were conceived using Glory’s eggs and donor sperm.
- The Legal Battle: Because Brittney was married to Glory at the time of the procedure, a court eventually ruled that she had a legal obligation to provide child support.
- The Misconception: In some court documents and media reports, the "non-biological parent" is sometimes discussed in terms of "paternity" or "paternal obligations" depending on the state's specific laws at the time.
Griner actually challenged this. She initially argued she shouldn't have to pay because she claimed she wasn't fully involved in the IVF process. She even questioned the paternity of the children at one point, wondering if the donor sperm was actually used or if it was an ex-boyfriend of Johnson's. DNA tests eventually cleared that up, confirming the children were from donor sperm, but they definitely weren't biologically Brittney's.
Basically, the court saw her as a legal parent, not a biological one. That distinction is huge, but it's often lost in a 280-character tweet or a clickbait headline.
"Pops" and the New Chapter with Cherelle
Fast forward to 2024. Brittney and her wife, Cherelle, have been through the absolute ringer. After Brittney’s release from Russia in 2022, they were open about wanting to start a family. In July 2024, they welcomed their son, Bash Raymond Griner.
Now, this is where the terminology gets fun and a bit more personal. Brittney has been very vocal about her role as a parent. In an interview with CBS Sports, she jokingly told the reporter she was going to "just drop it" and announced that Bash had arrived. She also shared that she wants her son to call her "Pops."
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She’s leaning into a masculine-leaning parental title, which is common in many queer families, but it doesn't change the biological reality. Cherelle carried the pregnancy. Brittney is the doting, "Pops" who is obsessed with her kid. She's mentioned how her whole phone is now just photos of Bash and how she hates leaving him for games. It’s a pretty standard "new parent" vibe, just with more 6'9" dunks involved.
Why the Rumors Keep Circulating
Why does the "biological father" question persist? Honestly, it’s a mix of things.
First, there’s the physical. Brittney has always been open about her "androgynous" look. She’s tall, she has a deep voice, and she doesn't conform to traditional feminine beauty standards. People who don't follow the sport see a photo and make assumptions. She’s dealt with this since middle school. In her memoir, In My Skin, she talks about how often people would question her gender.
Second, the internet loves a conspiracy. During her time in Russia, there were weird memes and fake "news" reports claiming Russian officials were going to do DNA tests to prove she was a man. It was all nonsense—total propaganda and internet trolling—but those things have a way of sticking around in the darker corners of Google Search.
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Third, the legal terminology of the 2015 divorce was genuinely confusing for people not familiar with family law. When a judge orders "child support" from a non-biological spouse in a same-sex marriage, the headlines sometimes use "paternity" or "fatherhood" as a shorthand, even when it’s technically incorrect.
The Reality of Brittney’s Parenthood
To be super clear: Brittney Griner has no biological children of her own. The twins she supports financially are the biological children of Glory Johnson and an anonymous donor. Her son, Bash, is the biological child of Cherelle Griner and a donor.
Brittney is a parent in every way that counts—the midnight feedings, the diaper changes (which she’s joked about being a "team effort"), and the financial responsibility. But the "biological father" label? It’s just factually wrong.
It’s kinda interesting how we as a society struggle with these labels. We want everyone to fit into a neat little box. But Griner’s life has never really fit into a box. She’s a woman who plays "like a man" (according to some critics), a mother who wants to be called "Pops," and a survivor of a global political standoff.
Actionable Insights and Facts to Remember
If you’re trying to keep the facts straight or explain this to someone else, here’s the quick rundown:
- Gender: Brittney Griner is a cisgender woman.
- The Twins: She is the legal (not biological) parent of Glory Johnson’s twins and pays child support.
- The Son: She is the non-biological parent of Bash Griner, whom she shares with her wife Cherelle.
- Terminology: While she uses the nickname "Pops," it’s a chosen title, not a biological description.
- Sources: You can find the details of her 2015 legal case in public court records from Arizona, and her current journey is well-documented in her 2024 memoir Coming Home.
When looking for info on celebs, it's always better to look at their own words—like Brittney's interviews with People or CBS—rather than random social media threads. The truth is usually a lot simpler than the rumors make it out to be.