Perhaps one of the most well-known adages in the area of male-female relationships is “Behind every great man is a great woman.” And as any guy knows: the “fairer gender” has the strength to take any guy past what he perceives to be his own limits, or ruin him beyond belief if he tries to hurt her.
While professional athletes aren’t always known for remaining faithful to their significant others, that might often be the case of a few bad apples ruining the bunch. Case in point? Look at this list of some of the NBA’s top stars, and the incredible women who have stood by their side… and helped them become the stars that they are.
Here’s an updated look at some of the NBA’s Top WAG’s (Wives and Girlfriends):
Yvette Prieto, Michael Jordan
Even though he hasn’t played in the NBA since 2003, we felt it necessary to pay homage to the GOAT! What’s a 16 year age difference, when you’re married to the most famous athlete on the planet? The 40-year-old former Cuban model, Yvette Prieto, married Michael Jeffrey Jordan in April of 2013. As you would expect, their wedding was a REALLY big deal.
Rumored to have cost Jordan at least $10 million, the elaborate wedding included a ton of A-List celebrities and athletes, plus special guest performances by Usher and Robin Thicke. Yvette is now a stepmother to Jordan’s three children from his previous marriage (do you remember the little kids from Space Jam? That’s them!). The couple welcomed twin daughters, Victoria and Ysabel, in 2014.
Anne De Paula, Joel Embiid
Looks like Joel Embiid’s public thirsting for Rihanna is over, and it’s hard to blame him. In 2018, he began dating Anne De Paula, a Brazilian model who quickly became a sight to see and be seen at Philadelphia 76ers games. She posted plenty of photos rooting for Embiid and the 76ers on her Instagram page, which has over 216 thousand followers.
• Anne De Paula is a Brazilian model who’s been featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
• Prior to dating Embiid, De Paula dated Irish rock musician Danny O’Donoghue for three years
• De Paula was caught on camera sobbing with Embiid when the latter’s team was eliminated from the 2019 NBA Playoffs
Ayesha Curry, Stephen Curry
Ayesha isn’t nearly as famous as her husband Stephen Curry, but she’s had a few ventures into show business herself. Mrs. Curry has recently spent time trying to parlay her show business fame into trying to land a television show for the couple’s famous daughter, Riley.
• After attending a performing arts high school, Ayesha appeared in several independent films and modeled as well.
• She met her future husband at a youth church group when they were teenagers, and the couple married while they were in college.
• She now has her own cooking show called “Cooking with the Curry’s”.
Mariah Riddlesprigger, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is affectionately known as the “Greek Freak” by Milwaukee Bucks fans. But to girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger, he is a loving boyfriend she can’t get enough of. According to social media, it seems the two have been together since 2016, so she’s been able to witness his meteoric rise to fame from Day 1.
• Mariah Riddlesprigger was a top college athlete and played for Rice University’s volleyball team.
• She who posts often about Giannis Antetokounmpo on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.
• After finishing college, she worked as an intern in the NBA and landed in Milwaukee to work for the team’s front office.
Natalija Macesic, Nikola Jokic
Nobody can accuse Natalija Macesic of being a girl who capitalized on the stardom of Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, considering she began dating him back when Jokic was early in his career with Mega Bemax, a professional basketball team in the Serbian professional basketball league.
• Natalija Macesic has been dating Nikola Jokic since 2013
• The couple posted a video of them lip-syncing a Serbian version of a Beach Boys song on social media
• Jokic refers to Natalija as “Ljubav,” which means love
Kendall Jenner, Ben Simmons
Early in the 2018-2019 NBA season, All-Star forward Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers was romantically linked to Kendall Jenner, the youngest member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan. They’ve managed to keep their relationship out of the public eye (despite Jenner’s very public profile), but the two of the appear to remain an item through the early summer of 2019.
• Kendall Jenner was reported to be the world’s highest-paid model in 2017
• Jenner was previously romantically linked to current NBA player Blake Griffin
• Ben Simmons was the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft
Daniela Rajic, Paul George
After a rocky start to their relationship, things appear to have settled out nicely for Daniela Rajic and Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two of them regularly post photos on their social media accounts showing how happy they are raising their children together, and how well their relationship is going.
• Daniela Rajic met Paul George when she was a performer at Tootsie’s Gentleman’s Club in Miami
• Paul George signed a four-year, $137 million contract in July of 2018, to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder
• Even with the rocky start to their relationship, the pair have two children together, and are considering a 3rd
Kishele Shipley, Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard and Kishele Shipley met when the two of them attended San Diego State University. As most fans know, For a professional athlete, Leonard is very private and so is his family. He doesn’t let a lot of pictures of them get out, and you won’t be finding much on social media of the pair.
• NBA star Kawhi Leonard has been with girlfriend Kishele Shipley since college.
• According to Leonard, he tried to keep the couple’s relationship a secret to protect Shipley from the media.
• In 2016, the couple had their first child.
Shelby Miller, Trae Young
Given that the two of them come straight from America’s heartland, it couldn’t be more fitting that Trae Young and Shelby Miller’s relationship has that “All American” storyline of the star athlete dating a cheerleader. The former phenom on the University of Oklahoma basketball team began dating the Sooners’ cheerleader while the two were in college, and even with Young’s rise to prominence in the NBA, he hasn’t forgotten his college girlfriend.
• Shelby Miller and Trae Young began dating at the University of Oklahoma
• Miller was on the cheerleading team at Oklahoma, and graduated from the university in 2019
• Miller attended the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend with Young
Francesca Aiello, Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin’s history of dating athlete-seeking starlets is well documented in the Southern California-focused tabloids. But a woman like Francesca Aiello has the ability to make Griffin, who’s probably old enough to start thinking about settling down, a family man. The two of them have been dating for over a year, and things appear to be going strong.
• Francesca Aiello is professional bikini designer from Malibu, California
• She was romantically linked to Blake Griffin starting around the middle of 2018
• Her products have been modeled by Kylie Jenner, the sister of Griffin’s former love interest
Anamaria Goltes, Luka Dončić
Anamaria Goltes hails from Croatia, a nation located right next to Slovenia — the country from which up-and-coming NBA star Luka Dončić. The pair have been dating for several years, including the time Dončić was starring in the professional basketball leagues in Europe. While there were rumors that the two had previously split up, it’s quite clear from Goltes’ social media following that the pair are very much still an item.
• Anamaria Goltes is a Croatian model, featured in several campaigns for women’s undergarments
• Luka Dončić was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 after winning the Euroleague Championship that same year
• Goltes’ has over 56k followers on Instagram, where they’ll see photos of her modeling shoots, Dončić, and her dog
Harper Hempel, Jamal Murray
Harper Hempel was dual threat student athlete at the University of Kentucky, where she undoubtedly met future NBA Draft Lottery selection Jamal Murray. She was an integral member of the Wildcats’ women’s volleyball team, and started a self-run photography business even before arriving in school in Lexington.
• Harper Hempel played volleyball at the University of Kentucky
• Harper runs a photography business called “Harper Hempel Photography”
• Harper’s father, Rich Hempel, co-founded a sports technology company called eCoach
Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom / Tristan Thompson
In a sequence of moves that should’ve surprised absolutely nobody who knew anything about the Kardashian family, Lamar Odom married reality television fixture Khloe Kardashian in 2009. However, the couple proceeded towards separation in 2013. After a whirlwind sequence of events in their breakup, Kardashian began dating Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.
• In September 2009, Lamar Odom married Khloé Kardashian after a month of dating
Kardashian remained by Odom’s side after the latter was hospitalized in 2015, though they were in the process of getting divorced
• Kardashian began dating NBA player Tristan Thompson in 2017, after finally officially divorcing in 2016
Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade
The celebrity couple of Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union married in August of 2014 in Miami. As you would expect, the wedding, was “kind of a big deal.” According to sources, the wedding cost the couple at least $5 million, and had a long list of famous guests, including LeBron James, Kevin Hart, and John Legend. According to a few celebrity websites, the couple has an estimated net worth of $150 million. Not too shabby!
• In high school, Union once dated future NBA superstar Jason Kidd.
• Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union began dating in 2009
• Wade was coming of a nasty split from his first wife, to whom he was married for there years
• Union and Wade temporarily split in 2013, but Wade convinced Union to give their relationship a second chance
Deja Lighty, Donovan Mitchell
If you’re wondering who was the lovely lady beside Donovan Mitchell when the latter attended the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Los Angeles during his rookie season, that was none other than Deja Lighty, the woman of his affections to this day. Coincidentally, the two of them happen to hail from the greater New York City area, with Mitchell born and raised in Elmsford, New York, and Lighty growing up in the Bronx.
• Deja Lighty attended Temple University, where she was a dancer for the Temple University Gems
• With her degree in sports management, she’s worked with ROC Sports and the Cleveland Cavaliers
• Her father was Chris Lighty, a former manager who has worked with musicians including Mariah Carey, P. Diddy, and 50 Cent
Elise Esposito, CJ McCollum
There are plenty of beautiful women in the world. But when you find a woman with beauty and brains? Now that’s a keeper. And that’s exactly what CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers must see in his future-wife, Elise Esposito. Esposito is currently a D.D.S. candidate at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. As anyone there will tell you, it takes more than just batting your eyelashes to get admission into that school.
• Esposito graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2013 with in Behavioral Neuroscience from Lehigh
• That’s likely where she met CJ McCollum, the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft
• McCollum and Esposito announced their engagement in September of 2018
Savannah Brinson, LeBron James
If LeBron James is the “King” of the NBA, that makes Savannah Brinson the queen of the league. Believe it or not, James and Brinson were high school sweethearts, even though they actually attended rival high schools. The story goes that their first interaction included James inviting her to one of his basketball games, with Brinson not being aware at all of all the hype around James at the time.
• While they had been “an item” since 2003, the longtime couple finally got married in September of 2014.
• They have three children together: sons LeBron Jr. and Bryce Maximus, and daughter Zhuri.
• Brinson reportedly had zero knowledge of how good James was when the two met in high school
Viviana Ortiz, J.J. Barea
The dating life of José Juan Barea — better known as J.J. Barea of the Dallas Mavericks — is unbelievable! He went from dating Zuleyka Rivera, the 2006 Miss Universe, to dating the 2011 Miss Universe Viviana Ortiz.
• Vivian Ortiz and J.J. Barea had a son together in 2012
• The couple welcomed daughter Paulina Barea Ortiz to the world in late March of 2016
• Barea is currently a head coach in the professional men’s basketball league in his native Puerto Rico.
Kay’la Hanson, Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard and Kay’la Hanson can trace their relationship back to Weber State University, where Lillard starred on the court. She is a nurse at the Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, Oregon. In March of 2018, the couple gave birth to a son named Damian Lillard Jr.
• Kay’la Hanson is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada
• She has a mixed heritage of African-American and Puerto Rican descent.
• Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard has become one of the best guards in the NBA.
Amelia Vega, Al Horford
Al Horford and Amelia Vega were married on Christmas Eve in 2011, and had their first child — a son named Ean — in February of 2015. Although she “hates cold weather” Mrs. Horford still loves living in Boston. When you have as much money as the Horford family — the Celtics signed Horford for $113 million — you can splurge on a Caribbean getaway if you want to escape the snow.
• Al Horford — a native of the Dominican Republic — happens to be married to fellow Dominican Amelia Vega
• In 2003, Vega became the first Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe
• She’s a singer, actress, and aspiring business-woman, owning two clothing boutiques in Miami named “Essence By Amelia Vega.”
Gloria Govan, Matt Barnes / Derek Fisher
It appeared that Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan had the perfect relationship. They had beautiful twin boys, they were paid to pose together in magazines, and Gloria was a reality TV star. But less than two years into their marriage, Barnes and Gloria Govan (unfortunately) decided to split. And when Govan started dating former NBA player Derek Fisher, Barnes didn’t take the news well; he reportedly drove 95 miles from Santa Barbara to confront Fisher.
• Gloria Govan was involved in a very public “love triangle” with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Derek Fisher
• Govan and Barnes originally met when the latter was only 12 years old, and reconnected years later
• Govan and Fisher began dating in 2015, when the two of them were still legally married.
Molly Qerim, Jalen Rose
Perhaps the biggest personality on the University of Michigan’s “Fab Five” in the early 1990’s, Jalen Rose enjoyed a productive 13-year career in the NBA. After retiring, he successfully transitioned into a media career, becoming an on-air personality for ESPN. And after dating fellow ESPN employee Molly Qerim for an extended period of time, the two of them got married in a private ceremony on July of 2018.
• Molly Qerim is the moderator and anchor for ESPN’s First Take, featuring Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman
• Jalen Rose is the co-host of ESPN’s Get Up! morning sports talk show, alongside Mike Greenberg
Kamiah Adams, Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been dating model Kamiah Adams for several years now. Adams is known among reality television fans, thanks to her role on the second season of the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. She gave birth to a son named Bradley Beal, Jr. in July of 2018.
• Kamiah Adams and Bradley Beal met in 2015 in Los Angeles at a nightclub, being introduced by mutual friend John Wall.
• For their first date, Kamiah flew to Washington D.C. to attend one of Bradley Beal’s games
• After three months of dating Adams moved in with Beal and his two brothers.
Denise Garcia, Lonzo Ball
Denise Garcia’s relationship with Lonzo Ball is pretty typical of what you’d expect from a couple of kids in their young 20’s. They dated early on, then things got hard, so they broke up. But, given the fact that Garcia is the mother of Lonzo’s child (a daughter named Zoey), and Lonzo saw the “revenge body” that Garcia worked diligently to attain, the two are trying to reconcile their relationship as of early 2019.
• Denise Garcia gained national prominence after dating UCLA basketball star (and future NBA lottery pick) Lonzo Ball
• Garcia was previously a nursing student at the University of California-Riverside.
• She is a recurring character in the reality television series “Ball In The Family”
Robyn Hayward, Gordon Hayward
In 2017, Robyn Hayward made waves on social media after tweeting pictures of letters written to her husband (Gordon Hayward) from kids in Utah begging Gordon to resign with the Jazz. Unfortunately for those Jazz fans, the Hayward’s decided to relocate to Boston, where Gordon reunited with his former college coach Brad Stevens.
• Gordon and Robyn Hayward were married in February of 2015
• The couple welcomed their first daughter that same year, and their second daughter in 2016
• The Hayward couple jointly has over 1.6 million followers on Instagram
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant
As we all know, things haven’t been easy for Mr. and Mrs. Kobe and Vanessa Bryant. heir ups and downs have been well documented, so we won’t get into the details here, but there’s no forgetting the $4 million diamond ring Kobe bought her in 2003! After all, nothing says “I’m sorry” better than a $4 million ring. Coincidentally or not, the couple remained married throughout the entirety and conclusion of Bryant’s NBA playing career.
• Vanessa Laine met Kobe Bryant in 1999, at a video shoot for Kobe’s attempted foray into hip hop
• According to Kobe, who was only 21 at the time, she was one of the background dancers caught his eye
• After two years of dating, the young couple married in 2001
Jelissa Hardy, Draymond Green
Draymond Green met girlfriend Jelissa Hardy when the two of them were at Michigan State University together. In what shouldn’t be any surprise: Hardy was a basketball player herself, playing on her high school team before suffering chronic back injuries that wouldn’t let her pursue the sport any further.
Green and Hardy both graduated college in 2012, and Hardy she briefly pursued a modeling career afterwards, Hardy appears to be a “full time mom” now. In early 2017, the couple welcomed a baby boy, also named Draymond.
• The couple share a child from a previous relationship of Hardy.
• In 2015, Green donated $3.1 million to Michigan State University, which is the largest pledge from an athlete in the school’s history.
Mary Peluso, Mike Conley, Jr.
Sweethearts since the days the two of them called themselves “Buckeyes,” Mike Conley Jr. and Mary Peluso were married in 2014, and welcomed their son named Myles Alex in 2016. Conley’s wife maintains an active Instagram account with over 25k followers, largely devoted to fitness and her family life.
• Mary Peluso met her future husband during Mike Conley Jr.’s lone year at Ohio State University
• When the couple got married in July of 2014, former Ohio State center Greg Oden was a groomsman
• Peluso is a fitness enthusiast who’s appeared on the cover of fitness magazines
Ayahna Cornish-Lowry, Kyle Lowry
When they’re not busy playing each other in friendly games of 1-on-1, or raising their two sons together, Kyle and Ayanhna Lowry spend time working with the Lowry Love Foundation, which they founded in 2013 to help people in need (especially in their home town of Philadelphia and their current home in Toronto).
• The pair met and began dating during their time at Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia
• Ayahna Cornish was a star basketball player in high school, and played in college at St. Joseph’s
• She suffered an ACL injury the same time as Lowry did
Ashtyn Montgomery, Kemba Walker
Even though Ashtyn Montgomery and Kemba Walker both attended different schools with prominent athletic programs, they clearly didn’t let any college rivalries get in the way. After graduating from Florida State University, Montgomery’s employment history includes stints with the Atlanta Braves, and as a sales rep for MillerCoors. So at least in terms of the latter, you could say she’s a pretty big sports fan.
• Ashtyn Montgomery and Kemba Walker have been dating for several years
• Ashtyn was born in Georgia, and attended Florida State University
• She received her Master’s in sports management from FSU
Nina Earl, Russell Westbrook
NBA star Russell Westbrook may be one of the most stylish men in sports, but his wife Nina is this true prize. The couple were married in 2015, and in May of 2017 they welcomed a baby boy (Noah) into the world. Although it’s way too early to know for sure, there’s a good chance Noah is going to be a star athlete, given both the parents’ background in basketball.
• Russell Westbrook and Nina Earl are college sweethearts since their days at UCLA
• Earl grew up in California and was one of the best high school basketball players in the state
• Her UCLA basketball bio includes “one of fastest players on the team” and “excels in transition.”
Kiara Morrison, DeMar Derozan
DeMar DeRozan — who’s been one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA over the past several years — and Kiara Morrison are also college sweethearts, with the two first meeting when they were at the University of Southern California. How’d they meet? Basketball, of course. The two of them are currently married, and have two children together.
• Kiara Morrison was a standout player in high school, and played for the Trojans while in college;
• DeMar Derozan was actually the women’s team manager while Morrison was on the basketball team.
• She and DeRozan purchased an estate in Southern California worth approximately $3.75M
Jessica Olsson, Dirk Nowitzki
There is a contingent of people who don’t approve of the fact that Dirk Nowitzki (of “caucasian” descent) and Jessica Olsson (of African descent) are married, and that’s a shame in today’s world. Especially because if you look at the Nowitzki-Olsson family, you will see athletes littering both sides of the blood line. It is incredible, and one can only think Dirk and Jessica’s children will grow up to be sports stars one day.
• Dirk Nowitzki met Jessica Olsson in 2010 at a charity event in Dallas.
• Olsson was working for an art gallery when the two met
• Raised in Sweden to a Kenyan mother and Swedish father, Olsson has two brothers who play professional soccer.
Vanessa Macias, Tim Duncan
After four years of dating, Tim Duncan and Vanessa Macias welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Quill. Pretty unique name, right? Well Duncan said the baby was named after Peter Quill from the Marvel Comics character in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Duncan has two other children from a previous marriage.
• Duncan and Vanessa Macias began dating in 2013.
• Macias has hosted a sports talk show, announced baseball and soccer games, and was even a contestant on the CBS hit series The Amazing Race.
• Tim Duncan appeared in the NBA All-Star game 15 times and was twice voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.
La La Anthony, Carmelo Anthony
After a full-blown Hollywood wedding that was aired on a reality television show, the marriage between Carmelo Anthony and La La Vasquez almost came to a tragic end. However, the couple never officially got divorced, and were reportedly back together again as of January of 2019.
• After seven years of marriage, Carmelo and La La Anthony separated in April of 2017,
• The split came amidst rumors of Anthony’s infidelity
• Initially, Anthony tried very diligently to win her back
Jada Paul, Chris Paul
Chris Paul and Jada Paul make up one of the most fashionable sports celebrity couples. The couple is so fashion-savvy that Jada gives away prom dresses each year in Winston Salem, North Carolina though the couple’s charity. The prom dress, shoe and purse giveaway is just another way the couple give back to the community they grew up in.
• Chris and Jada Paul have two children together: Chris Jr. (affectionately known as “lil’ Chris) and Camryn Alexis.
• Two two met when the two were 18, not long before Paul became a hot NBA commodity.
• After moving to Houston, Jada complained about the Houston heat and humidity regularly on social media
Lauren Cheney, Jrue Holiday
A beloved member of the New Orleans community, everyone from the Pelicans organization and their fans sent their very best of wishes to Lauren Cheney, the wife of point guard Jrue Holiday. Cheney was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017, but thanks to the support of everyone in the Bayou, she appears to have fully recovered.
• Lauren Cheney is a former star midfielder on the U.S women’s soccer team
• She met Jrue Holiday in the stands of a UCLA women’s basketball game
• Cheney successfully overcame a brain tumor she was diagnosed with in 2017
Julie Pierce, Paul Pierce
Ironically enough, Paul Pierce wasn’t the first NBA player whom the future Mrs. Julie Pierce dated. The latter had a previous relationship with Larry Hughes. Even more ironically, Hughes was married at the time, and Julie wasn’t aware Hughes had a wife; she reportedly broke off the relationship when she found out. Soon after the end of her relationship with Hughes, Julie found Paul, and the rest is history.
• Paul Pierce met wife Julie in 2005, and the two began dating shortly after that year’s NBA All-Star Game
• An interior designer, Julie had a career long before the two began seeing each other.
• Married in 2010, the couple have three children together
Kayla Wallace, Isaiah Thomas
Like you’d expect from a great wife, Kayla Wallace is incredibly supportive of her husband, who, at times, was not liked by his own teammates. The public persona that Mrs. Wallace shows through her own Instagram feed is of a couple that loves being active. From hiking to shopping, she posts photos of the family regularly for fans to see.
• Isaiah Thomas Jr tied the knot with Kayla Wallace in 2016,
• The two had been together for years before finally marrying ahead of Thomas’ last year with the Boston Celtics
• Thomas frequently posted photos of his love to his 3.6 million followers on Instagram.