June 04--Tulsa Shock forward Glory Johnson-Griner will miss the entire 2015 season after announcing she and her wife Phoenix Mercury forward Brittney Griner are expecting a child.
A photo posted by missvol25 (@missvol25) on Jun 4, 2015 at 8:40am PDT
"It has always been a dream of mine to start a family with someone I love," Johnson-Griner said in a statement. "Being a professional athlete that plays year round, there is never a perfect time to get pregnant without putting my career on hold. The entire process, from learning our fertility options, to making sacrifices necessary nine months before the child is born, is merely preparing me to become a great wife and an even better mother."
Johnson-Griner is a two-time WNBA All-Star and has averaged 14.7 points with 9.2 rebounds per game last season.
"We are excited for Glory and Brittney and wish them the best in the upcoming year with the birth of their first child," Shock President Steve Swetoha said. "We look forward to seeing Glory back in a Shock uniform in 2016."
The Shock open the regular season Friday in Minnesota against the Lynx.
Johnson-Griner and Griner were married less than a month ago in Phoenix. Johnson-Griner and Griner were both suspended for the first seven games of the upcoming season following a domestic violence incident in April which resulted in their arrests.
Griner plead guilty to disorderly conduct as part of a diversion agreement and will attend 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling. The charges against Griner will be dropped contingent on her completion of the counseling.
