It seems whenever there is a mention of the ladies of Basketball Wives: L.A., it involves drama. And why wouldn’t it? Since the show started, there have been catfights, rumors of infidelity, accusations of child endangerment…and we’re not even half way through the season!
Gloria Govan is a sharp-tongued character who has been at the center of the craziness since her time on Basketball Wives: Miami. She is engaged to L.A. Laker Matt Barnes, the only “husband” still playing in the NBA. The couple, who have two-year-old twin boys, have battled their fair share of rumors in the past. In a recent interview with Essence.com, the pair hoped to shed some light on their normal lives while silencing the haters.
Matt has his own take on the show. He says, “We originally thought the show was going to portray women stepping out of our shadow and raising kids and their day-to-day activities, but they’re showing red carpets, fights, drinks in the face, and girls sleeping around. I’m the sole representative of the NBA as far as the show is concerned, so everyone’s kind of looking at you crazy. I do it in support of her, but if it were just for me, I wouldn’t do it.”
Of Gloria, Matt reveals, “She can hit the red carpet, but then she’s at home with two pigtails taking care of the boys and making dinner and cleaning up — really [I want viewers to know] just how real her life is. She really is a mom just like everyone else out there. She’s also a high school basketball coach and she does a lot of regular things you don’t see.”
Gloria also sings Matt’s praises, stating, “We’re super sappy. We’re into the rose petals and candles and balloons. He leaves me notes everywhere — like in my car, my purse, and places I would never think to look in, like my sunglasses case — and then I just find them throughout the day. They’re really brilliant notes.” She continues, “He’s always encouraging and supportive. He’s so cute.”
The couple recently postponed their wedding. Gloria admits, “I’m just, like, still not there yet. The last thing I want to do is put him in a headlock and drag him down the aisle. If the wheel’s not broke… why fix it?” She explains, “We’re comfortable with where we are in our relationship. We’re really solid and we’re happy. That’s why we canceled our wedding in the first place, because we realized it wasn’t for us — it was for everyone else. It was for friends, family, viewers, everyone. That was probably the best thing we could have done.”
As for backlash from viewers, Gloria reveals that sometimes she lets the negativity get to her. She says, “People on Twitter can be very hateful. People will tweet me something so cruel at like 8 o’clock in the morning. I try not to read it at all. I feel bad because there are some really cool fans and stuff, but you know, by the time I get to reading them I’m already upset and have a bad attitude.” However, Gloria doesn’t have much time to worry about the drama, as she reveals she’s hoping for a spot on next season’s Dancing with the Stars. The show doesn’t want Bravo housewives, do you think it will cast the VH1 variety?
Meanwhile, Gloria’s cast mate is going through a very devastating ordeal. We all watched last week as a heartbroken Jackie Christie had to Skype in her ailing mother to her sixteenth wedding to husband Doug.
Jackie and her sister were coping with the doctor’s news that their mother’s cancer had spread and she wasn’t responding to treatment. Sadly, Jackie’s mother passed away last week. She revealed the tragic news in an interview, saying she was glad her mother was able to see her marry Doug a sixteenth time before her passing. Jackie also explained that she and her daughter, Takari, who has publicly bashed her mother’s parenting skills, are resolving their issues. I’m glad they are working on their relationship, especially in light of their recent family tragedy. My thoughts go out to the Christie family.
A new episode of Basketball Wives: L.A. premieres tonight at 8ET on VH1.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GLORIA AND MATT’S INTERVIEW? WOULD YOU WATCH GLORIA ON DWTS?
