Raymond Griner is famous because he is the father of Brittney Griner, a controversial basketball player in the WNBA. Brittney has certainly seen her fair share of drama, many brought on by the attributes that make her one of the best players ever to grace the court; her height and figure.
Raymond’s daughter grew up in Houston, the youngest of three siblings. She inherited a fair share of her father’s physical traits, including his tall height and build.
Brittney quickly grew into her frame and, by the 6th grade, towered over most of her classmates. Her body frame made Brittney face much discrimination from her peers, who often bullied her.
At some point, she started fighting back. She would get into fights rather than report the insult and quickly earned a reputation for being a fighter. Not many know it, but the man who taught her how to defend herself was none other than her father, Raymond Griner.
Raymond Griner Taught Brittney to Defend Herself
Raymond Griner was in the Marines and worked in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969. After he returned home, he lived peacefully and got work in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. There, he worked for more than thirty years.
He also worked as a school security guard at Nimitz High School while his daughter schooled there. Raymond worked to provide for his family while his wife, Sandy Griner, held the fort as a housewife.
Despite his work obligations, Raymond was there for his kids. He had foreseen that Brittney would have problems along the way because of her stature, and he knew that she would not back down from the bullying.
Brittney had inherited their family’s short fuse. To help her, he taught her how to defend herself, and she learned well. It enabled her to fight off her bullies and protected her ego.
Aside from self-defense, Raymond Griner also taught his daughter, Brittney, how to work with cars. So she knows things like changing oil, fixing brakes, etc. When she became old enough for a license, her proud father bought her a car.
Raymond Griner Was Worried When She Started Dunking
Brittney tried her hand at many things while growing up. She drove go-karts, watched military shows with Raymond, and even practiced sewing with her mother. It was all fine, but nothing put the fire in her eyes like basketball did. She was built for it, and it did not take long for her to gravitate toward the popular sport.
She would often play, and while in high school, she learned how to dunk balls. When she got the first one right, the news spread through the school like wildfire. It spread so fast that Raymond, who also worked there, heard it.
After that first successful dunk, more quickly followed, and her fame spread through the school, causing her father anxiety. He may have fought in wars and wielded weapons, but the thought of his daughter getting hurt from a failed dunk was too much for him.
He advised her: “If you’re running to dunk the ball, if you’ve got somebody behind you or beside you, don’t go up and dunk it.”
Of course, nothing happened, and as time passed, he had to get over how he felt. Then he discovered something else about her that made him more than anxious.
Raymond Shunned Brittney for Her Sexuality at First
Brittney is gay, and Raymond was livid when he learned about it in her senior year. His statement at the time reads: “I ain’t raising no gay girl.”
He banned her from inviting her friends after school, even throwing her out of their home. Fortunately, she had the support of her siblings and mother, whom she told before her father.
Raymond thawed out over time, and Brittney grew by leaps and bounds in her career. When she got into Baylor University and kept playing well, Raymond realized her sexual orientation was not holding her back, so he accepted her and her sexuality.
Brittney was also graceful. She did not resent her father and later confessed that his actions strengthened her. According to Brittney, it prepared her for life which is not always fair.
Despite what happened back then, the pair have a great relationship today, and he has entirely accepted her for everything she is. Thanks to his support, Brittney has grown into one of the most admirable women with a career in sports.
