Author: Sylvia Burley
I was having dinner the other night and the subject got around to reality shows, and in particular Basketball Wives, which was strange since not one person there admitted to actually watching the show even though we ALL knew the names of the “characters”.
So, to begin this article, I must admit I have seen an episode or two of Basketball Wives (okay, okay I’ve seen the entire 3 seasons…geez!). Even though I am what one might call an avid viewer, I liken watching this and other reality shows to watching a train wreck…you may want to, but you just can’t turn away. However, when I saw a new addition to the franchise coming, Basketball Wives: LA, I swore I wouldn’t tune in. Well, the potential to see another train wreck with totally new casualties again proved too much to resist, so I tuned in.
First though, I have to ask…why are these heifers already getting into physical fights and the show just started? Did they already know and hate one another? And if the season STARTS with a physical fight, how will it end…with murder and a whodunit cliffhanger!!? Sigh.
Okay, here are the cast of characters and an assessment based on my totally arbitrary, one-sided point- of- view, (much like the premise of all reality shows):
Gloria Govan, fiancée of LA Lakers’ Matt Barnes, hit the mother lode of gold-diggers by actually having twins! You may remember her as the ostracized newbie on Basketball Wives. She appears to be the “Shaunie” of this show.
Laura Govan, is sister to Gloria, and baby’s mama to not one, not two, not three, but four children by ex-fiancé Orlando Magic baller, Gilbert Arenas. Even though Arenas supposedly kicked her out of the house repeatedly and spent money too extravagantly, Laura hung in there for years. Finally having had enough, she and the children moved to Cali while she was still pregnant with baby no. 4. Apparently, she is used to scrapping, as she is the one who was involved in the aforementioned fight which started when she called HERSELF a “rat”. You really have to see it to believe it.
Kimsha Artest, is the self-described “partner” of LA Lakers’ Ron Artest and mother of three children. Supposedly, Kimsha and Ron married in 2003 and quietly divorced in 2009. They have joint custody and the relationship is very amicable. I will call Kimsha, “Tami No. 1”. She is the East Coast, round-the-way girl, who can size you up and cut you down faster than a New York minute. She doesn’t like fake b***ches or LA, and I give her props for being comfortable wearing no weave and glasses.
Imani Showalter, ex-fiancée of Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Jackson and mother of three, doesn’t like to be “stigmatized”, so it’s a good thing she’s on a reality show and this one in particular.
Malaysia “my REAL first name is even more ghetto” Pargo, is married to Jannero Pargo of the Chicago Bulls. She is from Compton and probably most closely epitomizes the diva-ish type of trophy wife we have all come to know and hate. It is not surprising she would be one of the first most disliked by the others on the show.
Jackie Christie, wife of retired player Doug Christie, has been accused in the press for years of being overbearing and controlling in her marriage. I would say she is definitely insecure as she forces poor Doug to renew their wedding vows yearly. I wonder how many wedding tapes he has recorded over by mistake. I call her “Tami No. 2”.
Draya Michele, a model and aspiring actress in LA with several music videos and magazine covers to her credit, has a history of dating players. She is the “wild card” in the bunch. We know she will be hated and ostracized by the other mean girls, but not sure how much or how well she will be able to handle it.
Tanya Williams, the wife of former New Jersey Nets player, Jayson Williams, is currently filing for divorce. For some reason she is missing from the VH1 website, so may have already been axed. If so, it’s because she was too “Oprah-ish” dispensing advice and her positive energy all over the place. You could just see the others looking at her and thinking, “Who in the hell does she think she is being all kumbaya and sh*t?”. I believe Tanya’s guru persona may have been necessary for her to deal with Jayson Williams’ crazy ass. Wooo-sah (repeated while sitting in meditation pose)!
So, this is the cast of characters, and while I hope if this is your cup of tea that you continue to enjoy the show, I plan to enter a rehab program that will help me to slowly wean myself from Basketball Wives and quit Basketball Wives: LA cold turkey.
Part II: Why TV Networks are cancelling perfectly good series for more crappy reality shows. Seriously.
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