WNBA star Brittney Griner has said in a tearful interview that her marriage to Glory Johnson was a ‘huge mistake’.

The 24-year-old filed for an annulment with Glory Johnson-Griner last Friday, just a day after Johnson-Griner announced she’s pregnant and only a month after the two players wed.

Just days after filing the paperwork, Griner spoke candidly to ESPN about her decision.

‘Prior to us getting married, I knew I didn’t want to… I shouldn’t have went through with it,’ she said. ‘I talked to Gloria about it but, you know, sometimes you feel pressured into things, and I went along with it. And I know I shouldn’t have. It was a huge mistake. I just knew it was a mistake.’  

The 6-foot-8 Phoenix Mercury star married Johnson just three weeks after they were both arrested on domestic violence charges for a fight at their home in suburban Phoenix.

Both players were suspended seven games after their arrests and Griner agreed to undergo 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling as part of a plea agreement.

In the aftermath of the fight, both players apologized and said they worked out their differences – but Griner said she should have given herself more time before they walked down the aisle.

‘With everything going on and counseling and classes, it just wasn’t the right way to start off a marriage,’ she told ESPN. ‘It wasn’t the right way to start off a unity like that. I wanted to take time to get myself right and – shouldn’t have done it.’

She said they agreed to go their separate ways.

On Thursday, Johnson announced that she was pregnant by posting a picture of a ‘bun in the oven’ cake on Instagram. She used a sperm donor to conceive for the couple, TMZ reported.

Johnson, a two-time All-Star with the Tulsa Shock, will now be taking off the season.

Griner told ESPN that she was shocked by the timing of the announcement.

‘It’s very early,’ she said. ‘It’s too early to post or say anything about it. I was surprised.’

Towards the end of the interview, Griner said the last 10 months have been ’emotional’ and bent over and shook as she struggled to control her tears.

After composing herself, she smiled and said she now plans to ‘submerge’ herself in the game, adding: ‘I’m just counting down these next six games until I get back on the court.’

The honest interview came just days after Griner announced in a statement through ESPN that she and her wife would be parting ways.

‘Last Wednesday, Glory and I agreed to either legally separate, get divorced, or annul our marriage, she said.

‘I can confirm that today I filed for an annulment. In the week prior to the wedding, I attempted to postpone the wedding several times until I completed counseling, but I still went through with it. I now realize that was a mistake.’

Johnson’s sports marketing agent, D.J. Fisher, said in a statement that his client was unaware that Griner was filing and was ‘extremely hurt and blindsided’.

‘She loves Brittney and made a huge sacrifice to carry a child, put her career on hold, invest in their relationship and their future,’ Fisher said.  

‘She knows how important marriage is, and made a lifetime commitment and decision to spend the rest of her life with Brittney.’ 

Caitlin Clark had a rivalry with Indiana during her college days at Iowa. But now that she’s been drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, she hopes Hoosier fans can root for her.

Attendance has dramatically increased for the Indiana women’s basketball team as coach Teri Moren has taken the program to new heights.

Indiana had its first-ever sellout crowd during the 2023 season finale against Purdue, and fans regularly pack Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for women’s basketball games now. Indiana ranked second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in total attendance for women’s basketball during the 2023-24 season.

Perhaps the most raucous environment this past season was on Feb. 22, 2024, when Caitlin Clark led the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes into Assembly Hall to face No. 14 Indiana. Hoosier fans lined up outside hours before the game, dressed accordingly for a whiteout.

Roars rained down from the stands after baskets from Sara Scalia and Mackenzie Holmes, who combined for 49 points in the 86-69 Indiana win. Hoosier fans seemed almost as excited to see Clark miss a shot – she went 8-for-26, her third-lowest field goal percentage of the season – or commit one of her five turnovers.

Two months earlier, the Indiana Fever won the 2024 WNBA Draft lottery to get the No. 1 overall pick in April. Clark clearly would be the top pick if she decided to forgo her final year of collegiate eligibility and turn pro. But not all Fever fans felt great about that.

When Indiana hosted Iowa in February, one Hoosier fan held a sign that said, “Lin, we don’t want her!”

Indiana fans hold signs referring to Iowa and Caitlin Clark at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

That was a message to Lin Dunn, the general manager of the Fever, about Clark, who irritated some Indiana fans after years of battling Iowa for Big Ten titles.

A fierce competitor, Clark had a similar sentiment that she shared Wednesday at her introductory press conference with the Fever.

“I hated playing at Indiana and they hated me,” Clark said. “So hopefully a lot of them turn into Indiana Fever fans. They hated me for good reason. It’s a hard place to win at.”

Clark recalls Iowa had a game during the WNBA Draft lottery and she couldn’t watch it live. But despite the rivalry with Hoosier fans, she said the Fever picking No. 1 overall was on her mind as a top destination that night.

“I was hoping Indiana would get the first pick,” Clark said. “It would have made my life a lot better. When I saw that, I was pretty excited.”

Clark said she was ready for a new challenge after reaching the national championship in back-to-back seasons at Iowa. And being from West Des Moines, Iowa, she couldn’t script it any better to stay in the Midwest and play for the Fever.

Now she teams up with former Indiana Hoosier Grace Berger, who was taken No. 7 overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Fever, and Aaliyah Boston, the No. 1 pick that year. For Clark, the talent around her, combined with a dedicated fan base, makes for a perfect fit.

“I can’t think of a better place for myself to start my career,” Clark said. “A place that loves basketball, supports women’s basketball and an organization that really does things the right way and has a championship pedigree.”