Brittney Griner reveals she wants her newborn son to call her 'POPS' not mom, leaving fans to question 'why is he in the WNBA?'

 WNBA prima Brittney Griner revealed a arguable sanction she wishes her newborn boy to telephone her. 

Griner and woman Cherelle welcomed their first kid together 19 months aft nan WNBA star's merchandise from a Russian penal colony.

The 33-year-old revealed complete nan WNBA All-Star play that their babe boy had arrived, admitting she is complete nan satellite to invited their bundle of joyousness to nan world. 

However, nan hoops prima besides revealed that she did not wish to beryllium known arsenic 'mom', opting alternatively for 'pops'. 

In an question and reply pinch CBS Sports' We Need To Talk, anchor Terrika Foster-Brasby excitedly congratulated Griner, saying, 'You're astir to beryllium a mom!' 

But nan Phoenix Mercury halfway playfully interjected to correct her, saying, 'Pops! Pops!' 

Griner swiftly brushed disconnected nan moment, going connected to uncover that her boy had really already been born. 

'I'm ace excited,' she said erstwhile asked astir nan pregnancy. 'Well, I mean I conjecture I'll conscionable driblet it... he's here. Seven pounds 8 ounces. Yeah, that's my man!' 

Several hoops fans were near confused by Griner's little accepted parenting decision, pinch 1 moreover asking: 'If she refers to herself arsenic “pops” past why would she want to play successful a women’s league?' 

Another took to societal media to ask: 'They allowing men into nan WNBA now ???'

Despite fans' confusion, Griner has maintained that she is simply a biologic female and identifies arsenic female. 

In a 2015 question and reply pinch ESPN, Griner opened up connected her assemblage and nan disapproval she's had to endure. 

'I'm judge group are going to person a batch of captious things to say,' she said referring to nan photos of herself featured successful ESPN's 'Body Issue.' 

'"Yo, she's a man!" But hey, that's my assemblage and I look nan measurement I look. People are either going to judge maine for who I americium aliases they're not. I don't cognize what group deliberation I'm hiding. 

'I've heard, "Oh, she's not a female, she's a male." I've been told, "Oh, she's tucking stuff." They thought I was tucking. I mean, [in nan Body Issue] it's retired there. Let maine show that I clasp nan flatness! I conscionable want group to spot personification who embraces being naked, embraces everything astir them being different.'

She besides revealed that increasing up she was called a boy and has moreover been forced retired of nan women's bathroom. 

'I sewage called a boy each nan time,' she said. 'Going into nan bathroom, I still get nan shocked look, like, "Are you expected to beryllium successful here?" But I'm truthful utilized to it now, I'm conscionable like, "I'm a girl, I'm successful nan correct bathroom." 

'In China, it happens each nan time! One clip erstwhile I went into nan bath there, a woman was truthful shocked that she was pushing maine out; she was truthful hysterically shocked that I was successful there. I couldn't do thing but laugh.'

She besides added that she doesn't for illustration labels, emotion some feminine and masculine, but was felt forced to prime 1 arsenic a child.  

Griner antecedently had twins pinch ex-wife and chap WNBA subordinate Glory Johnson successful 2015, only for nan brace to divorcement conscionable a twelvemonth later. 

Nevertheless, welcoming different kid pinch Cherelle has reminded nan 33-year-old really awesome a emotion it is.

'He is amazing,' Griner continued. 'They opportunity arsenic soon arsenic you spot them everything that you thought mattered conscionable goes retired nan window, and that's virtually what happens.

'It kinda sucks origin I've gotta leave, but astatine nan aforesaid clip he'll understand.'

Brittney and Cherelle first exchanged rings successful 2018, but 4 years later nan erstwhile was arrested astatine an airdrome successful Moscow aft Russian authorities claimed she was caught entering nan state pinch vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.

Griner was put successful a detention halfway adjacent Moscow until November of that year, earlier she was moved to an undisclosed prison.

She was past taken to a penal colony successful Mordovia, a Russian region astir 300 miles southeast of Moscow, to service her nine-year condemnation connected supplier charges.

Eventually, successful December 2022, nan 6-foot-9 WNBA champion and two-time Olympic golden medalist was was freed successful a captive speech for arms trader Viktor Bout aft spending 10 months successful jail.

Griner precocious re-signed pinch nan Phoenix Mercury - her only WNBA squad - up of this year’s Olympics successful Paris.