Brittney Griner, the star of the U.S. women’s basketball team who made headlines in 2022 when she was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow for possessing e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis-derived oil, has announced the birth of a son.
Griner told CBS Sports on Friday that she and her wife, Sherrell, are new parents.
The announcement adds even more meaning to an already momentous weekend for Griner, who is preparing to play against Kaitlyn Kalk, Angel Reese and others in Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game.
“He’s my guy. He’s amazing,” Griner told CBS Sports. “They said when you look at them, everything you thought was important goes out the window, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Griner has little time left to spend with her son: After this weekend’s All-Star Game festivities, she has to fly to Paris with the rest of the U.S. Olympic team.
“It’s kind of sad that I have to go, but at the same time, he’ll understand,” Griner told CBS Sports.
“My whole phone has been changed to him,” Griner added.
She’s already been spending some time with the baby, who they’ll name “Pops.” Though his birth wasn’t announced until Friday, Pops was born on July 8.
