Few couples could overcome the hurdles posed to Brittney and Cherelle Griner.
The Griners became whole in 2019, a period of great success for Brittney, the Mercury star. She was a WNBA champion, a two-time scoring leader and perhaps the most dominant defensive force the game had ever seen.
She was also happy. So too was wife Cherelle, the beautiful couple stealing looks on the timeline with their elegant style and flair.
Then, things got hard. Last February, Brittney was arrested for being suspected of carrying marijuana cartridges through a Moscow airport. She would remain under Russian surveillance for some 10 months, pulling the strings on the young couple's relationship.
Through all the heartache, through all the long nights without one another, Brittney and Cherelle remained committed to one another. And it was that refusal to let the love die that captivated the nation, even when things seemed to be going sour in the United States' government's pursuit of Griner's return.
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Fortunately, things worked out for Brittney. And with the couple happily reunited under the baking Arizona sun, it seems as good a time as any to revisit the timeline of their relationship — from start to present.
Brittney and Cherelle Griner relationship timeline
2009-2013: Brittney and Cherelle's relationship started under the baking Waco sun. The pair met while enrolled at Baylor. Back then, Brittney was the lanky basketball player making waves with Kim Mulkey's program. Cherelle, meanwhile, was starting her journey to becoming an educator.
The two bonded over milkshakes, Brittney wrote on Instagram in 2020. And although the pair wouldn't become a thing for a few years, Brittney says it was love at first sight.
Aug. 2018: Brittney and Cherelle's relationship was something of a slow burn. Griner's first marriage, with former WNBA player Glory Johnson, ended in divorce. Two years later, it was Brittney and Cherelle who were tying the knot. Brittney proposed in August 2018 after about two years of dating.
June 2019: Brittney and Cherelle become one, marrying each other in a beautiful summer wedding. Cherelle opts to take on Brittney's last name, and the couple officially becomes known as the Griners.
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Feb. 17, 2022: Brittney Griner is detained by Russian authorities after being suspected of carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil through a Moscow airport.
March 5, 2022: Back home in the United States, Cherelle offered her first words on her wife's detainment. In an Instagram post, Cherelle thanked "everyone who reached out" to her in the days after Griner's detainment.
"I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely," Cherelle wrote.
May 7, 2022: Cherelle receives her JD from North Carolina Central University's School of Law. Although Brittney wasn't able to attend, she was there in spirit. Cherelle shared a post on her Instagram showing her wife rocking an NCCU Law sweatshirt, the same one Cherelle wore in her graduation pictures. It was as sweet as it was poignant.
May 24, 2022: Cherelle opened up about Brittney's detainment in an interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, telling the longtime host that the couple kept contact through sporadic letters.
"I won't go down until she's back," Cherelle said. "Every single day matters for me to be sound, for me to be alert, for me to be attentive, to make sure that she comes back."
May 25, 2022: Speaking with ESPN's Angela Rye, Cherelle urged President Joe Biden to "use his power" to get her wife back home.
"There is one person that can go get her, and that's our president," Cherelle said. "He has that power. You know, I'm just like, 'Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it.' We're expecting him to use his power to get it done."
June 21, 2022: Cherelle expressed outrage after a Russian government-approved phone call from Brittney never materialized.
“I was distraught. I was hurt. I was done, fed up,” Cherelle told the Associated Press.
“I find it unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now. If I can’t trust you to catch a Saturday call outside of business hours, how can I trust you to actually be negotiating on my wife’s behalf to come home? Because that’s a much bigger ask than to catch a Saturday call.”
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June 29, 2022: Making an appearance on Reverend Al Sharpton's SiriusXM radio show, "Keepin' it Real," Cherelle detailed just how much Brittney's four months had weighed on her wife.
"BG is struggling, she's human," Cherelle said. "She's there terrified, she's there alone."
July 26, 2022: Appearing in front of a judge, Brittney and her legal team offered supporting evidence speaking to marijuana's medicinal uses. Additionally, Brittney relayed a message of hope to her wife, wishing Cherelle good luck on her bar exam, per People.
Sept. 18, 2022: After months of back and forth, Cherelle met with President Biden to discuss the U.S. government's efforts to secure her wife's release.
Oct. 4, 2022: Cherelle sat down with CBS Morning's Gayle King to discuss her wife's future. It had been about two months since Brittney was handed a nine-and-a-half-year sentence from Russian authorities.
In the interview, Cherelle expressed hope. She expressed concern, as well.
"It terrifies me, because when you watch movies, sometimes those situations don't end well... Sometimes they never get their person back."
Nov. 1, 2022: Speaking to a crowd of luminaries at Glamour's Women of the Year awards, Cherelle shared a heartfelt letter she wrote to Brittney, who spent nearly nine months in a Russian jail.
"She is 100% not OK, and there is little I can do to ease her pain. But I believe from the bottom of my heart that while I can't bring her back, words can make a difference," Cherelle said.
Dec. 8, 2022: Brittney is released after nearly 300 days in Russian custody, returned to the U.S. in a one-for-one prison swap with international arms dealer Viktor Bout. Appearing at a White House press conference alongside Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Cherelle is finally able to crack a smile.
"So over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today I am just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration," Cherelle said.
Feb. 25, 2023: The Griners return to the public sphere, donning sleek pantsuits while attending the NAACP Image Awards. The pair received a standing ovation as Griner is presented to the adoring crowd.
April 29, 2023: The Griners' tour of high-profile events continues, stopping off at Washington D.C. for this year's White House Correspondents Dinner. At the dinner, the couple reconnects with another famous pair — the Bidens —, with the double date even posing for a selfie.
May 1, 2023: Brittney and Cherelle make their final big-time public appearance before gearing up for the WNBA regular season, with the duo sliding to the Met Gala. Outfitted in glitzy Calvin Klein threads, the Griners clearly made their mark.