Who are Basketball Wives LA married to? VH1’s most popular sports-related show is all set to return for its fifth season, but catching up with the off-camera drama is never an easy task! To help you out, we’ve assembled a list of the Basketball Wives LA Season 5 cast members–including two new additions!–and linked them with their significant others.
Of course, before we dive in, it’s important to note one of the quirks of the show’s title: Of the eight women in the main cast for Basketball Wives LA Season 5, only two are currently married. (There are strong rumors about a third, which we’ll get to shortly.) Several of the women are Basketball Ex-Wives, and the remaining cast members are Basketball Baby Mamas. But “Basketball Wives” is a better title than either of those, so you can forgive VH1 a little creative license 😉
Probably the best-known of all the women in the Basketball Wives franchise is Shaunie O’Neal, the former wife of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Shaunie and Shaq separated briefly in 2007, but decided to try and work things out; unfortunately, their marriage was beyond repair, and they divorced in 2009. Shaunie is a true Basketball Wives lifer: she was a member of the original show’s main cast until the show was canceled in 2013; after that, she jumped over to Basketball Wives LA. And she’s set to debut her very own spinoff, Shaunie’s Home Court, this summer.
Jackie Christie is the longest-tenured member of the Basketball Wives LA cast; she’s been a fixture on the show since its first season. Her husband is retired NBA player Doug Christie, a 14-year vet whose career began and ended in Los Angeles: Doug spent his rookie year with the Lakers during the 1992-93 season, and he retired following a brief stint with the Clippers in 2007. In between, he logged over 800 games and averaged better than ten points per game for the Knicks, Raptors, Kings, and Mavericks.
Brandi Maxiell is the other confirmed wife among the Basketball Wives LA Season 5 cast members. Her husband is recently retired NBA reserve Jason Maxiell, who spent all but two seasons of a ten-year career as a well-regarded component of the Pistons’ bench. Brandi and Jason’s relationship hit the rocks last season, but seems to have improved since then: Brandi has told VH1 that things are “a million times better” than when the extent of his infidelities emerged.
Angel Brinks is–on the books at least–the ex-girlfriend and baby mama of current New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Tyreke Evans. We say “on the books” because, during Season 4 and throughout the run-up to Season 5 of BWLA, Brinks remained unusually coy about the status of her relationship with Evans. When asked if the two were back together (or even married), Brinks’ response was generally quite simple: “You’ll have to wait and see!” She also referred to the potential loss of her “husband” in a recent Instagram post, leading fans to speculate that there might be more going on with herself and Tyreke than either one was letting on.
Malaysia Pargo is, like Jackie Christie, a five-year veteran of the show. She’s the ex-wife of long-time NBA reserve Jannero Pargo, who is perhaps best-known both among Chicago Bulls fans and around the league for his legendary stint as the ruiner of a feel-good season in 2011. (Pargo is currently out of the league.) Malaysia and Jannero divorced in 2014, amid a series of cheating allegations and sniping on social media.
Fan-favorite Tami Roman, the ex-husband of retired NBA player and current TNT broadcaster Kenny Anderson, is back in full force this year. Tami was a member of the Recurring cast for BWLA Season 4, but has been bumped up to Main status for Season 5. But Tami might have the longest-serving reality TV pedigree of all her castmates: she was introduced to viewing audiences as a cast member of MTV’s The Real World: Los Angeles back in 1993, when the phrase “reality TV” meant something a bit different than it does today 😉
Angel Love is one of the two new cast members VH1 has added for Season 5. She’s the ex-girlfriend and baby mama of seven-year NBA veteran DeJuan Blair, who is currently a backup center with the Washington Wizards. According to her official VH1 bio, Love decided to give the show a try when things with DeJuan started to get a little strained. Love and Brinks, the show’s two Angels, are close friends; thus, Love accepted Brinks’ invitation to come out to the coast and “just have some fun.”
Finally, LaTosha Duffey is the fiancée of NBA agent Iman Shokouhizadeh, whose clients include Johnathan Blount, Alan Voskuil, James Hulbin, and Bracey Wright. Duffey is best-known as a DJ, and one with a fast-rising profile to boot: her reputation around the Dallas area is stellar, and she’s raised her game to the national level by performing at events as diverse as the NBA All-Star Game and Amber Rose’s famous 2015 Slut Walk. DJ Duffey’s in Los Angeles to “take over the scene and make a bigger name for herself.”
As for the show itself? Basketball Wives LA Season 5 debuts Sunday, July 17th, on VH1–and it’s followed immediately by the series premiere of Shaunie’s Home Court.
(Photo credits: Who are Basketball Wives LA married to via Instagram, Adriana M. Barraza / Winston Burris / WENN)
