Brittney Griner opens up on marriage split, anger and her renewed focus

Scott Gleeson | USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Brittney Griner has been in a dark place before.

Growing up and getting bullied — taunted by verbal jabs that referenced her tall stature and masculine style — Griner found a safe haven: The basketball court.

"It's been my rock. Without basketball, I don't know where I'd be. I don't know how I'd have made it through some of the things I've been through" Griner told USA TODAY Sports. "When I'm on the court, I'm free. I don't have to think about being judged on anything but my performance, which I can control. When I'm on the court, I'm at peace."

Griner's life off the court has been far from peaceful and basketball has once again become her refuge in a time of turbulence. The 6-8 center was suspended by the WNBA for the first seven games of the season following an arrest that stemmed from a fight with partner Glory Johnson at their Arizona home on April 22. Griner pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct six days later and entered a domestic violence diversion program. Johnson officially pleaded not guilty on July 15 after illustrating herself as the victim of the incident in a June 2 interview with Sports Illustrated.

"Being suspended seven games and not being able to do what I love, that hurt," Griner said. "That made me appreciate it even more. That made me never want to jeopardize basketball again. There was a lot of learning and I tried to come back to the game with a better mindset and attitude."

Despite the couple’s public controversy, they married on May 8. Then 28 days later, Griner filed paperwork for annulment. Johnson, who announced she was pregnant just a day before Griner filed, was also suspended seven games by the WNBA for the couple’s April altercation. She is sitting out the 2015 season for the pregnancy and announced on Instagram June 29 that she was having twins. She became pregnant by in-vitro fertilization using donated sperm and Griner has no biological relationship to the unborn children.

VIEW: Court documents on annulment

Griner claimed in her initial annulment petition on June 5 that she was “pressured into marriage under duress” and said “fraudulent statements” were made by Johnson, according to Maricopa County (Ariz.) Superior Court court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports. In a motion filed on July 13 to amend the annulment petition, Griner revealed that Johnson was texting an ex-boyfriend while the two were engaged. The amended documents also detail Griner “recently discovering” Johnson’s “sexual relationship with a man” while the couple was dating.

Court documents that were filed June 29 detail Johnson’s request that Griner pay $20,000 per month in spousal support in addition to a $10,000 advancement toward attorney fees. An evidential hearing is scheduled in Phoenix for Aug. 17 in regard to Griner's marriage petition, which stated neither party was entitled to spousal support, and Johnson's counter-petition.

Griner told USA TODAY Sports of her marriage split that "there's no communication" with Johnson. Griner also asserted, when asked about her image shadowed by an off-court domestic violence label and on-court aggressive style of play highlighted by a thrown punch while at Baylor, "I don't have anger issues. That's not who I am."

"All I'll say about that topic is everyone who knows me, they know the truth and who I am and they see a difference in me," Griner said.

"There's always going to be negative headlines. It's how you take responsibility and respond to that. I could have sat at home after all this and just crawled up and crashed. That doesn't do anything. That hurts you, it hurts everyone around you. You have to be strong."

Griner said one of the biggest things she's learned from her counseling sessions, which she continues to take in group settings, "You have to talk about the hard subjects up front because if you let it wait, it just gets worse and worse and worse."

"It's kind of funny that I'm talking now about the dangers of being silent and just going along with stuff…because I work so hard to not do that as a person," said Griner, who's had anything but a quiet public personality since she was drafted No. 1 in the 2013 WNBA draft. "It's easy to just slip back into that old you. This whole process has been a big awakening for me."

On the court, Griner's taken on a new leadership role since returning after her suspension. Through nine games, she's averaging 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while leading the league in blocks per game (4.0 bpg).

"I think with any tough experience in life, you're going to learn from it," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. "After she had the suspension, she learned from it. The best foot forward was realizing she made a mistake. She admitted that, then moved forward. And then she's grown from it. The only way you can learn is from your negative experiences."

After winning the 2014 WNBA title, the Mercury's top player, Diana Taurasi, announced she would sit out the 2015 season to rest at the request and compensation of her Russian Premier League Team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. That means a significantly increased offensive role for Griner, the WNBA's reining Defensive Player of the Year.

"With no Diana, I have to be a little bit more mature," Griner said. "I'm getting older. I'm always going to be a kid at heart, but I want to be a leader and be more vocal. When D was on the court, we could be down 30 and you still felt like we could win. Not having that, it's a change. Now when the game is on the line coach is like, 'BG we're going to you.' I'm like, 'OK?' I'm trying to embrace it."

Brondello believes Griner has made tremendous strides since her first season in the league and sees waves of potential.

"I really think she's matured over the last few years," Brondello said. "Her progression from her first year in the league to now, it just keeps getting better and better. Obviously, we consider her a leader. She realizes she can be potentially one of the greatest players to ever play the game. I think that's her focus. She has a real high will to win and realizes her importance to this team. We try not to put too much pressure on her, but we need her to be successful to win.

"Look, she's nowhere near where she could be. I think the sky's the limit. She works extremely hard. In 3-4 years, I think you're going to see a dominant player."

The Mercury are 6-3 since Griner's return and 9-7 heading into All-Star weekend. During her suspension, Griner worked on her game with the team's practice squad, mainly against 6-foot-10 former Division II player Adam Grimes, who offered a taller and stronger presence than what Griner's used to in the WNBA. Griner also credits the polishing of her game to Brondello's husband, Olaf Lange, who's been a longtime coach in the WNBA and overseas and works intensely with Griner.

Although her maturity is there on the court, Griner still considers herself a goofball off it. When asked about her appearance in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, Griner turned on her jokester persona.

"I like being different. I was able to showcase that…and being naked. I like being naked," Griner said, trying to hold in a laugh.

In Griner's photos for the Body Issue, her tattoos were the most unique and noticeable part. Her newest body ink, as Griner put it, is nothing she's "proud to talk about." But, like her life, Griner isn't hiding anything.

"I'm just getting back to being me," Griner said. "When you're at your best off the court, it makes it a hell of a lot easier on the court. Now, I'm just trying to get back to that."

BRITTNEY GRINER THROUGH THE YEARS