(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
A star WNBA player and her fiancee were arrested on domestic violence charges. The player is Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, 24. Her fiancee is Tulsa Shock’s Glory Johnson. Police say the couple attacked each other.
There have been more than a few cases of domestic violence in WNBA over the years.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Day Before the Incident, Griner Called Johnson ‘My Queen My Rock My Universe’
https://instagram.com/p/1wx6Y4TBVd/
Griner is facing charges of suspicion of assault and disorderly conducty, reports AZ Central. Johnson faces the same charges. ABC Phoenix reports that both were arrested late on April 22 and posted bail at around 4 a.m. on April 23. On April 21, just a day before the arrest, Griner posted on Instagram about Johnson saying “EveryDay Every Second! I fall for you like I fell way back before I had the nerves to even approach you! My Queen My Rock My Universe!” In a brief statement, the Phoenix Mercury’s General Manager Jim Pitman said that the organization are investigating.
2. Their Wedding Preparations Have Been Featured on ‘Say Yes to the Dress’
Glory Johnson pictured in 2013. (Wikipedia)
The couple have been engaged since the summer of 2014. In an Instagram post about the engagement, Griner wrote “Last Night was a Night to Remember I became the happiest person on this earth! (almost pass out but when that one word came out I came back to life) Me and my baby @missvol25 are in it for Life!” They live together in Goodyear, Arizona, around 20 miles west of Phoenix. Griner and Johnson are planning to marry in May 2015, reports TMZ. In preparation for their nuptials, the two recruited the crew from the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress to help.
3. May 7 Is Known as Brittney Griner Day in Houston
(Getty)
In 2014, Griner was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the WNBA as she helped her team win the championship. She was a prodigy since her youth when she was named the best high school player in American Rivals.com. In addition, she also adorned the cover ESPN’s Rise magazine during her school days. In 2009, the mayor of Houston, where Grinner went to high school at Nimitz, declared May 7 to be Brittney Griner day, in recognition of her accomplishments.
4. Griner Campaigns Against Bullying
(Getty)
Griner came out as a lesbian in a 2013 Sports Illustrated interview where she also described being bullied due to her sexuality. She said “It was hard. Just being picked on for being different. Just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.” As a result, Griner now campaigns against bullying. She’s a native of Waco, Texas. In her book, “In My Skin,” Griner spoke about her experiences growing up in Texas as a lesbian. In one passage, she writes:
They say it’s important for kids to express themselves, but from the moment kids start to make choices — what clothes they want to wear, what toys they want to play with, what activities they want to pursue — society tries to define them and put them into neat little boxes. Girls are supposed to act this way, boys that way. And any kid who doesn’t fit into one of those boxes gets labeled as weird or strange or different.
Speaking to ESPN, Griner said about the book “I really don’t talk about the past that much because it just wasn’t good. Even when I was writing the book I was reliving that pain all over again.”
In addition to her writing, Griner has also sponsored an app aimed at countering bullying.
5. Johnson Has a Master’s Degree in Communications
Johnson was an all star with the Tulsa Shock in 2013 and 2014. She’s a native of Colorado Springs and went to school at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. While she studied there, Johnson attained a master’s degree in communications. She’s a Christian who counts William Faulkner as her inspiration.