Social media is a weird place. One day you're watching a highlight reel of a 6-foot-9 center dominating the paint, and the next, you’re scrolling through a comment section filled with people arguing over whether is Brittney Griner a man. It’s one of those internet myths that just refuses to go away, regardless of how many times the facts are laid out.
Honestly, it's kinda exhausting.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or X (formerly Twitter) lately, you’ve probably seen the "evidence." People point to her height. They point to her deep voice. They share grainy photos and claim she was "exposed" or that some secret DNA test happened in a Russian prison. But when you actually look at the record—the real, documented history of her life—the story is a lot more straightforward than the conspiracy theorists want you to believe.
The Reality of the "Is Brittney Griner a Man" Question
Let’s get the big answer out of the way immediately: No, Brittney Griner is not a man. She is a cisgender woman.
She was born Brittney Yvette Griner on October 18, 1990, in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Raymond and Sandra Griner. If you look back at her childhood photos—which she has shared herself—you see a young girl growing up in a regular Texas family. She wasn't some mysterious figure who appeared out of nowhere; she was a standout athlete at Nimitz High School who eventually became the most recruited female player in the country.
So, why do people keep asking is Brittney Griner a man?
Basically, it comes down to how she looks and sounds. Griner has a deep, baritone voice and a physique that doesn't fit the "traditional" mold of femininity. She’s tall. Really tall. She’s 6'9" with an 88-inch wingspan. In a world where we’re conditioned to think women should look a certain way, anyone who breaks that mold becomes a target for "gender policing."
👉 See also: Noah Schnapp: Why the Stranger Things Star is Making Everyone Talk Right Now
Why her voice sounds that way
A lot of the "is Brittney Griner a man" talk flared up again recently because of a viral courtside video. In it, her voice sounds particularly deep. People were shocked. But think about it—she’s nearly seven feet tall.
Medical experts, including those cited in the UltraBB Medical Review, have pointed out that someone with her frame naturally has a larger thoracic cavity and longer vocal cords. It's just physics. Larger "instruments" produce deeper sounds. Griner has been open about this her whole life, even mentioning in her 2014 memoir, In My Skin, how she was bullied as a kid for sounding "like a boy."
The Russia "DNA Test" Myth
During her 10-month detention in Russia in 2022, a new wave of rumors hit the fan. A fake screenshot—made to look like it came from CNN—claimed that Russian officials were performing DNA tests to figure out which prison to put her in.
It was a total fabrication.
The reality? Griner was held in a women's facility. While there was a brief clerical error where she was processed through a male intake center (a common scare tactic in some foreign legal systems), she spent her time in a female penal colony. Multiple fact-checking organizations, from PolitiFact to USA Today, have debunked the DNA test claim. There is zero evidence it ever happened.
A Life Lived in the Public Eye
If Griner were "secretly a man," she would have had to pull off the greatest long-con in sports history. She’s been under the microscope since she was 15.
✨ Don't miss: Nina Yankovic Explained: What Weird Al’s Daughter Is Doing Now
- High School: She played for the Nimitz Cougars. She was a girl playing on a girls' team.
- College at Baylor: She played four years for the Lady Bears. Under Coach Kim Mulkey, she led them to a 40-0 season and a national championship.
- The WNBA & Olympics: She’s played for the Phoenix Mercury (and now the Atlanta Dream) since 2013. She has three Olympic gold medals.
To compete at that level, athletes undergo constant medical screenings. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the WNBA have strict eligibility requirements. If there were any truth to the rumors, it would have been flagged decades ago.
Her Family Life
Another thing people ignore is her personal life. Brittney is a parent. She and her wife, Cherelle Griner, welcomed their son, Bash Raymond, in July 2024.
Now, some people get confused because of her previous marriage to Glory Johnson, who gave birth to twins. Because Brittney was ordered to pay child support, some internet trolls used that as "proof" she was the father. Again, that's not how it works. They used an anonymous sperm donor. Brittney was legally their parent at the time, hence the support.
With her current wife Cherelle, they’ve been very public about their journey to parenthood. Brittney even shared photos of the baby shower and the sonograms.
The Toll of the Rumors
It’s easy to treat this like a fun internet debate, but for Griner, it’s been a lifelong source of pain. In her recent book Coming Home, she talks about the "ugly invective" she sees on social media. People calling her "sir" or "he" isn't just a mistake; it's often a deliberate attempt to dehumanize her.
She’s a queer Black woman who doesn't wear makeup and prefers "men's" clothes (she actually wears a men's size 17 shoe). Because she’s "unapologetically herself," she becomes a lightning rod for people’s insecurities about gender.
🔗 Read more: Nicole Young and Dr. Dre: What Really Happened Behind the $100 Million Split
Honestly, if a 6'9" man was playing in the WNBA, he wouldn't just be "good"—he would be scoring 100 points a game. Griner is dominant, sure, but she’s playing against women who are also elite athletes.
What We Can Learn From This
The obsession with is Brittney Griner a man says a lot more about our society than it does about her. We tend to want to put people in boxes. When someone like Griner—who is tall, athletic, and has a deep voice—comes along, she breaks the box.
If you're looking for the truth, stop looking at blurry memes and start looking at the facts.
- She has a birth certificate that says female.
- She has competed as a woman for 20+ years.
- She has a wife and a son.
- She has addressed these rumors directly, time and time again, with nothing but grace.
The next time you see a "shocking" video about her voice or her chest, remember that femininity isn't a one-size-fits-all category. Some women are 5'2" and some are 6'9". Both are equally women.
Next Steps for the Informed Reader:
If you want to understand her journey better, skip the gossip sites and read her memoirs, In My Skin or Coming Home. They provide a raw look at what it’s like to be an "anomaly" in a world that demands conformity. You can also follow her current season with the Atlanta Dream to see her impact on the court—which is where the focus probably should have stayed all along.