Cherelle Opens Up About Son and Healing Process

Brittney Griner’s Cherelle has opened up about life with their baby boy as they continue to move forward following the Olympics star’s release from a Russian penal colony in 2022.

The 33-year-old WNBA player previously revealed over the All-Star weekend that their baby boy had arrived, admitting she’s over the moon to welcome their bundle of joy to the world 19 months after her ordeal.

In a new interview with Good Morning America, new mom Cherelle confirmed that life with their first child together had been ‘amazing.’     

‘He is literally perfect. He’s brought us so much joy. I could talk about him forever,’ she gushed. ‘Life is amazing right now.’

Brittney previously welcomed twins with ex-wife and fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson in 2015, only for the pair to divorce just a year later.

Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle has opened up about life with their baby boy as they continue to move forward following the WNBA star’s release from a Russian penal colony in 2022

Brittney, 33, previously revealed over the WNBA All-Star weekend last month that their baby boy had arrived 

While the couple are enjoying this new chapter in their lives, Cherelle admitted that they were still doing the work to process all that they went through during Brittney’s time in Russian prison. 

She stated: ‘It’s an every day thing. The healing process… we are still dealing with the aftermath of BG’s wrongful detainment. 

‘However, when you put in the work, you learn to find the joy in the little moments. So having our son here is just absolutely amazing.’

Cherelle added that Brittney’s current participation at the Olympic Games in Paris was also helping the pair to move forward with joy.  

‘BG being able to be back playing basketball – something that she loves so much – has been absolutely amazing,’ she continued.

The new mom added: ‘We went an entire year, basically, without something that we were used to doing. So that’s something that went back to normal for us. 

‘Basketball’s a normal thing for us. It’s been awesome to see her play on this highest court.’

Cherelle highlighted the fact that not everything in life had been able to return to normal, following Brittney’s detainment overseas.

Cherelle gushed: ‘He is literally perfect. He’s brought us so much joy. I could talk about him forever. Life is amazing right now’

2022 saw the WNBA star arrested at an airport in Moscow after Russian authorities claimed she was caught entering the country with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.  

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was put in a detention center near Moscow until November of that year, before she was moved to an undisclosed prison.

She was then taken to a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region roughly 300 miles southeast of Moscow, to serve her nine-year sentence on drug charges.

Eventually, in December 2022, the 6-foot-9 WNBA champion was was freed in a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout after spending 10 months in jail.

The basketball star recently re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury – her only WNBA team – ahead of this year’s Olympics in Paris.

Reflecting on how the pair have had to process the traumatic experience in the months since, Cherelle shared her advice with families going through the same experience. 

‘I think you expect them to be back and you have them back again,’ she began. ‘But this was a learning experience when you realize their life will never be the same. 

She continued: ‘Our lives are never going to be the same again. Just having that grace to be able to be in the room with somebody that you once knew and understanding that we’re all different people now, and giving them the space to reintroduce themselves.

Griner was infamously released from a Russian penal colony 10 months after being arrested in Moscow in 2002

Cherelle added that Brittney’s current participation at the Olympic Games in Paris was also helping the pair to move forward with joy

‘Families are different after all of those years and also the wrongfully detained Americans. Everyone needs time to reintroduce themselves as real whole people.’

Cherelle added: ‘Do not expect them to be the exact same person you last saw. They’re not. You’re gonna realize, “Hey, I grew through the tragedy and we are even better humans for it.” It’s a beautiful thing when you just take the time to focus on the mental aspect.’

Brittney previously spoke about welcoming her son with Cherelle – whom she married in 2019. 

She stated: ‘He is amazing. They say as soon as you see them everything that you thought mattered just goes out the window, and that’s literally what happens.

‘It kinda sucks cause I’ve gotta leave, but at the same time he’ll understand.’