Brittney Griner Biography
Brittney Griner Biography: Brittney Yevette Griner is an American pro basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was born on October 18, 1990. (WNBA). She went to college in Waco, Texas, and played basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears. She is the only basketball player in the NCAA with 2,000 points and 500 shot blocks. The three-time All-American was recognized in 2012 as both the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and the AP Player of the Year. Griner is 6 feet, 9 inches (206 cm) tall, wears men’s US size 17 shoes, and has an arm span of 87.5 inches (222 cm).
Achievements
Griner was the best high school girl basketball player in the country in 2009. In addition, she was chosen to play basketball for the 2009 Phoenix Mercury All-American team. In 2012, she was given the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete. In 2013, Griner got a deal with Nike to be an endorser. Griner was on the 2016 US women’s Olympic team, which won the gold medal at the Rio Games. In 2020, Griner said she didn’t like the Star-Spangled Banner and wouldn’t be on the court when the national anthem was played before games. Nevertheless, Griner was named to the US women’s national team in 2021 and won her second gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. Griner is one of 11 women who have won a gold medal at the Olympics, an NCAA championship, a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA championship.
Initial Years
Griner, the daughter of Raymond and Sandra Griner, was born in Houston. Her father used to be the sheriff of Harris County and served in the Marines in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. She has three siblings older than her. Griner attended Nimitz High School in Houston. She got a letter in basketball all through high school, and as a freshman, she also played varsity volleyball. Then, starting in her sophomore year, Griner practiced with the boys’ basketball team and worked with a Nimitz football coach to build up her leg strength so she could learn to dunk.
Griner led the Nimitz Cougars to the Texas 5A girls basketball state championship game in her senior year, but they lost to Mansfield Summit High School 52–43. As a senior, Griner dunked 52 times in 32 games, setting a record of seven dunks in a single game against Aldine High School. Griner was named a WBCA All-American and played in the 2009 WBCA High School All-America Game, scoring 20 points and getting 9 rebounds to lead her team.
Brittney’s College career
Griner went to college at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and played basketball there. As a fresher, Griner blocked 223 shots, which was the most ever in a single season. This made her one of the best shot blockers in the history of women’s basketball. On March 3, 2010, Griner and Jordan Barncastle of Texas Tech was fighting for a position near the lane. As Barncastle was getting called for a foul, Griner moved forward two steps and hit him with a right-handed roundhouse punch, breaking Barncastle’s nose.
Baylor was the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16, they beat the top seed, Tennessee. On March 22, Griner blocked 14 shots in a 49–33 win over the Georgetown Hoyas, which was an NCAA tournament record. Griner helped Baylor win the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship on April 3, 2012, with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Baylor beat Notre Dame 80–61 to win the title. Griner was chosen as the best player in the Final Four. Baylor’s season ended with 40 wins, which is the most in NCAA history.
Brittney’s Professional career
The Phoenix Mercury picked Griner with the first pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Griner tied Candace Parker’s WNBA dunk record in her first game on May 27, 2013, when she dunked twice against the Chicago Sky. Griner set a WNBA record on June 29, 2014, when she blocked 11 shots in a game against the Tulsa Shock and also scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Even though Griner was suspended for the first seven games of the 2015 season because of her domestic violence case, she still had the best defensive season in WNBA history. She averaged a career-high and WNBA record 4.0 blocks per game, breaking Margo Dydek’s record from the 1998 season. In 2018, Griner was the third time in her career that she played in all 34 games. As a result, she was chosen to play in the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. This will be her fifth time in an all-star game. Griner had a season-high 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a 104–95 win over the Atlanta Dream on August 18, 2018.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was pushed back and cut down to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy. After 12 games, Griner left the bubble for personal reasons that were not shared. Without Griner, the Mercury had a 13–9 record and were the fifth seed.
Brittney’s Career on the national team
In September 2011, Griner played for the US national team in Europe for two weeks while coach Geno Auriemma was there. Griner was the only one in the group who had played in college. In 2016, she was on the US Olympic women’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics. They beat Spain 101–72 in the final, giving her her first Olympic gold medal. She is one of 11 players who have won an Olympic gold medal, a FIBA World Cup gold medal, or both. Griner was chosen to go to her second Olympics in 2021. Again, she went undefeated and helped Team USA win the gold medal.
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