Basketball Wives L.A. premiered last week to not only high ratings, but a ton of drama!
The L.A. cast wasted no time as a physical altercation occurred on the premiere episode! Laura Govan and Malaysia LaQuisha Pargo came to blows after Laura referred to Malaysia as a “rat.” Even more shocking, Laura had just given birth to her fourth child 3 weeks earlier.
In a recent radio interview, Laura’s little sister Gloria Govan reveals she was “upset” about the fight. “Ooh, I was so upset. But you know when I realized what it was really about, I couldn’t really be mad at her. She was going through so much stuff,” said Gloria about her sister. Gloria also promises that fight will be the only physical altercation on the show. How disappointing!
When it comes to her relationship with fiance Matt Barnes, Gloria admits the 5-year romance hasn’t been perfect. This was clearly evident following Matt’s arrest last year for domestic violence. Even more surprising, she doesn’t deny that he’s never been unfaithful to her. “I’m not gonna sit up here and be like, ‘No, you know he’s perfect and we’re fabulous’… it’s never been in my face,” said Gloria.
The rumor today is that Matt might have dumped Gloria. Below is more gossip and secrets about each of the Basketball Wives L.A. cast member as well as their bios!
A new episode of Basketball Wives L.A. airs tonight on VH1 at 8/7c.
Draya Michele – Draya is currently a model and aspiring actress in Los Angeles with several music videos and magazine covers to her credit. A controversial beauty with a history of dating players, the funny and engaging Draya says “I have a million haters. I open the list of haters and it rolls across the floor.” No word yet if any of the new LA wives make that list.
Gossip – Before joining Basketball Wives LA, Draya (real name Andraya M. Howard) had a pretty poor reputation as being a big time groupie. One who has allegedly slept with a ton of athletes, rappers, and entertainers. The former stripper is from Philly and is also a single mother of one. Draya, 25, actually lost custody of her 7-year-old son earlier this year after she was arrested for child endangerment. Her son called 911 and told cops he was being left home alone on a regular basis. Draya also dated R&B singer Chris Brown just last year.
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LAURA GOVAN – sister to Gloria Govan, Laura may be rebuilding her life with just her kids and brand new baby to keep her company, but she’s never alone as Govan family ties run strong. Like her sister, Laura has no trouble speaking her mind or sticking up for family when things get rough.
Gossip – Laura, 31, has 4 kids with NBA player and former? fiance Gilbert Arenas. Laura is best known for allegedly sleeping with Shaquille O’Neal while he was still married to Shaunie. While Laura continues to deny this, sources say it really did happen and leaked emails seem to support that.
But back to Laura and Gilbert as the two have always had a crazy and volatile relationship. Just in February, Laura had Gilbert served with child support papers during an NBA game. All seemed to be going well for the always on-again off-again couple when Gilbert finally proposed to Laura last year. However things quickly went sour when Gilbert decided to ditch her along with their three kids last November after being traded to a different team. Laura’s publicist stated back then that Gilbert cut off all access to money for a pregnant Laura and their kids, leaving them “with no money to purchase foodor Christmas gifts.” Fast forward to today and things between the couple seem to be better. Laura stated in a recent interview that the two are now communicating and might be getting back together.
Jackie Christie – wife of retired player Doug Christie, Jackie claims to have the strongest marriage in basketball, and it shows: she and Doug renew their vows every year! Bulldozed in the press for being overbearing and controlling in her relationship, she’s not one to hold her tongue, even with other players’ wives. She loves the spotlight and seems unfazed by her reputation as a polarizing figure in the world of basketball wives.
Gossip – Most NBA fans are familiar with Jackie due to her very unconventional methods of preventing her husband Doug from cheating. In addition to renewing their wedding vows every year, Doug had to follow other rules during his NBA playing days including not being allowed to make eye contact with female reporters, and having to signal I love you signs to Jackie an average of 50 times a game. Jackie also made certain to attend most of the road games while riding on the Team’s charter bus alongside Doug’s teammates. The bizarre methods seem to be working for the couple as they have now been married for 16 years.
Also it appears one of Jackie’s daughters, Ta’kari Lee Christie, is planning to write a tell-all book about her. Ta’kari, 22, and a mother of two, tweeted that Jackie kicked out her out of her home with Doug, and that she is now forced to sleep on people’s couches with her two kids. Ta’kari also claims that Jackie was not a real mother to her and that she doesn’t allow husband Doug to own a cell phone. It gets even worse as Ta’kari claims Jackie used to accuse her of flirting with Doug when she was younger. Wowzers.
Gloria Govan – fiancée of LA’s Matt Barnes, Gloria may be fairly new to the West Coast, but not to viewers of Basketball Wives. After relocating to Los Angeles and surviving Barnes’ first season playing for the most recognizable team in the world, she’s keeping busy both as a mom to her twins and taking on a new challenge: easing into the Southern California lifestyle.
Gossip – Most of us are familiar with Gloria going back to the first and second seasons of Basketball Wives (Miami). While Gloria has always maintained that the other wives were jealous of her relationship with fiance Matt, some light was shed on their relationship last year after the couple decided to call off their wedding at the last minute. Cheating allegations against Matt emerged and just weeks later he was arrested and charged with domestic violence against Gloria. The charges were later dropped and the couple has always maintained it was all a big misunderstanding. The latest rumor today is that Matt might have dumped Gloria but only time will tell if that is true.
Malaysia Pargo – wife of Chicago’s Jannero Pargo, Malaysia grew up in Compton, California before meeting her husband at 22. On being a basketball wife, she confesses that she always has her guard up and that one has to be a strong individual in order to live this lifestyle because it will “swallow you up and spit you out.”
Gossip – Not much dirt can be found on Malaysia other than the typical rumors that her NBA hubby might be cheating.
Kimsha Artest – self-described ‘partner’ of Ron Artest and mother of three, Kimsha is proud of her New York (Jamaica, Queens) roots and not a fan of living in Los Angeles. After seventeen years with Artest, she’s rolled with the punches when it comes to the basketball lifestyle. Kimsha refuses to resign herself to the LA “party” lifestyle, also shying away from the bling.
Gossip – Not much gossip to report about Kimsha other than a recent TMZ report which revealed she and Ron are no longer married. According to the report, the couple actually got divorced in 2009, which would explain why Ron has been publicly parading around other women. There are also whispers that despite the divorce, the two are still together but now have an open relationship.
Imani Showalter – ex-fiancée to player Stephen Jackson and mother of three, Imani has fought hard against being stigmatized since parting ways with her famous ex and isn’t shy to confess that she hasn’t dated since. A former singer with a New York girl group, Imani says she’s in the process of “rediscovering what makes me happy again… I want to find my passion and that’s where I want to go.”
Gossip – The rumor is that Imani got left at the altar by Stephen because she refused to sign a prenup. Sources say Imani had been putting off signing the prenup and when Stephen showed up with the contract on the wedding day, all hell broke loose. There are also whispers that she might have lied about her age and other things to Stephen.
