When VH1’s Basketball Wives debuted in 2010, it was the beginning of a franchise that would follow the turbulent lives of the women romantically involved with prominent professional athletes. Created by Shaunie O’ Neal–the ex-wife of NBA titan Shaquille O’Neal–season 10 is set to premiere on May 16th at 8pm.
Cast members who are set to return include: Jackie, Jennifer, Malaysia, Brandi, Duffey, Angel, Brittish and Brooke. From launching businesses to finding love to navigating the perils of motherhood, the women give viewers an up close and personal look at their day to day lives. Jackie is balancing her entrepreneurial pursuits (podcasting, acting, producing) with celebrating her 26th wedding anniversary to Doug.
Jennifer is determined to make a deeper connection with Jelani but will have to face her past before taking the next step. Malaysia experiences a crisis that forces her and her kids to move to LA. Brandi and Angel are laser-focused on their respective grinds (a food truck business and clothing line, respectively), but are dealing with obstacles of their own that could bring them to a halt.
Duffey is considering stopping her DJ career to make an album (she is newly engaged with a newborn) while Brittish is grinding hard to make her biggest dreams come true. Brooke and her husband are exploring the idea of expanding their family, although IVF may be the solution they weren’t expecting.
Past members of the franchise include Evelyn Lozada and Tami Roman who have left the series to pursue other professional opportunities. For years, the pair–along with several of their castmates–faced backlash for how they reinforced negative stereotypes for women of color. In addition to O’Neal serving as the show’s executive producer, other executive producers include: Glenda Hersh, Steven Weinstock, Lyndee Brown, Markus Burns, Jennifer Aguirre and Lorraine Haughton-Lawson. Basketball Wives is produced by Truly Original and Shed Media for VH1.