Cherelle Griner has achieved her goal of becoming a lawyer! She shared the celebratory news with her social media followers in a carousel of photos posted on Friday (April 14).
“It didn’t come easy[;] I almost chose not to do it! Thank God I sat for the July 2022 bar exam… you may now address me as Counselor!” excitedly wrote Cherelle on the Instagram post. The certified lawyer graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law in May. In the carousel of photos, she beamed with pride as she posed with wife Brittney Griner, local justices, and others. Brittney shared the post in her Instagram Story, where she wrote, “So proud of my amazing wife!” While detained in Russia, Brittney wished her wife good luck as she prepared for the arduous exam last summer. “Good luck on the bar exam,” said the superstar athlete to ABC News.
Throughout Brittney’s imprisonment, Cherelle advocated for her wife’s release, meeting with President Joe Biden and other elected officials. Around the time that she sat for the two-day exam, Cherelle shared that the WNBA star was doing her best to remain strong while facing nine years in prison. “She’s like, ‘I’m okay, babe. I’m hardened. I’m not me right now. When I come home, it’s going to take a minute to get back to myself, but I’m holding on. I won’t break until I come home. I won’t let them break me. I know they are trying to, but I’m going to do my best to just hold on until I can come home,'” she recalled during an appearance on Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio show, “Keepin’ It Real.”
Last year, Cherelle said that, at times, it was challenging to remain confident that Brittney would make her way back home. “It was almost as if somebody just punched you in the stomach, and you inhaled. You never get to breathe out,” she told People. After 10 months behind bars, the Olympic medalist was released in a high-profile prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, a prolific Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.” Earlier this week, the Phoenix Mercury star announced plans to share her harrowing experience in Russia in her upcoming memoir.
View Cherelle’s post below.