Well my land...that's what my grandmother used to say when something has warranted what we would say OMG for. The response to part one of this has been absolutely jaw dropping, you guys really have strong opinions about these Basketball Wives and I'm glad that you can appreciate my views.
Let's get to the getting:
Royce Reed
While Royce has been the butt of numerous jokes about the Basketball Wives and all of the remaining cast members ganged up on her early on due to her raunchy dance moves at an event on Miami Beach, I like her. Royce has an innocence about her that is actually quite refreshing. She is just Royce, without all of the pretentiousness that the other wives display. She hasn't learned to be bitter about the new opportunities that her NBA "baby mama" check affords her, she isn't hung up on relationship woes, infidelity or trying to lock down a ball player, and she doesn't appear to be jaded overall. It isn't clear if Royce was ever a girlfriend to Dwight Howard or just a fun fling, but either way she seems to have benefited from the exchange. Royce is a surprising alternative to the other wives since she entered into the game as as a cheerleader, or as cast mate Gloria terms it, as "the enemy." I don't know that she was really the enemy since it is my understanding many of the ball players pursue the cheerleaders, and what cheerleader is going to turn down the chance to date an NBA player? All of the Basketball Wives could learn a bit from Royce about enjoying the ride. Their lives are forever altered from having the experience of being in one of the highly coveted positions of a basketball wife.
Gloria Govan
Did you ever hear the saying "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?" Well, Gloria is in a glass house and her stone throwing may one day shatter her own home. This chick has a terrible disposition. I really think that it was a mistake for her to do the show. It appears that she wants to distance herself from the negativity of the other wives (rightfully so) but her way of going about it is nasty in nature. She is naively judgemental, her lack of experience leaves her without compassion or understanding, and she just has an ugly demeanor and a lurking sneakiness about her. Her unfounded disdain for Royce further confirms her clueless-ness about the reality of the NBA wives and the culture it breeds. I sincerely HOPE that her fiance, Matt Barnes actually follows thru to marry her, that he NEVER gets caught cheating, and that she lives "happily ever after" because if any one of those things goes wrong...Media Takeout will blast her a**.
Suzie Ketchan
Suzie was by far the least interesting, least memorable and most blah of the Basketball Wives. I didn't really get that she was a cast member until a few episodes into the series. I thought that she was just a sideline instigator who imparts the worst relationship advice imaginable. Suzie, who has two children with the now retired Michael Olowokondi, spent a decade with the ball player, so she is no stranger to the daily happenings of basketball wives' lifestyles. Unfortunately for Suzie, it left her in the same despair of the lonely, purposeless and scorned of the has-been ex-girlfriends. Although Suzie externally emits a vibrant "party girl" persona, her sharp words slice finely revealing a woman still suffering from a broken heart that needs mending.
In summary:
There are literally thousands of women around the world who aspire to land an NBA basketball player; as a jump-off, girlfriend, or wife. They are waiting in every city, they are at every game, they find out team hotels, nightlife party spots and schedule details. These women are unstoppable and they will do virtually anything to catch the attention of a professional ball player.
Next there are the players themselves who are treated like royalty and have a true sense of entitlement because they almost always do get what they want. The lifestyle is an energy field in itself that most people will never experience nor understand. The money, the fame, the women, the POWER is beyond comprehension to the average person including the player himself. So, it is his human nature to test the boundaries and stretch the limits of possibilities. These men will pursue whatever they have an inkling of an idea about wanting to experience. Part of having an abundance of wealth, fame, prestige and power is having the ability to share it, persuade others with it, and to conquer (by obtaining) anything that you want. So I ask, who is going to tell them that they can't do all of these things?
I was reminded, after having happy hour with a friend who was in a 10 year relationship with a now retired NBA player and sharing one child with him, that some of the girlfriends do have dreams of a "traditional" relationship and are blindsided by the incessant infidelities, loneliness of often being home alone, and the unspoken acceptability of affairs. However, it is my belief that any woman entering into a relationship with a professional ball player should openly and realistically discuss her terms of agreement. Being mindful that everything is not forever, decide what she intends to gain (money, social status, business opportunities, life-long companionship, or other) from the relationship, set forth with those goals clearly in mind and enjoy the journey. Love, unfortunately is just a by-product of it all. Love is usually why the baller chooses to label her wife or girlfriend...the details are why he keeps it that way. Like Evelyn, if it gets to be unbearable...LEAVE.
Until next season...
Or maybe the reunion show...
I'm leaving the Basketball Wives alone...
