Basketball Wives

Apparently people watch Basketball Wives.

VH1's erroneously named franchise keeps coming back, with a fourth (!) season getting the green light and already underway for an hour every Monday night.

Who's starring this year? These nut jobs:

Here's a brief rundown of the "roster" and what we can expect in a season that promises to up the drama like never before ... eat your hearts out, Real Housewives.

1. Shaunie O'Neal, ex-wife of future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

VH1's bio: "Shaunie's goal with her series was to shed light on the complex lives of the women who stand beside these larger-than-life professional athletes."

"She's here to show that it's not all glitz and glamour ... [She] is Queen Bee to the rest of the Basketball Wives, who swarm to her for advice and guidance."

That is beyond sad. This is her fourth season on the program.

2. Evelyn Lozada, ex-fiancee of Antione Walker, current fiancee of Chad Ochocinco (an NFL player, not a basketball star, and soon to be Chad Johnson again).

VH1: "She is highly regarded as a fashionista ... Evelyn is photographed not just because of ex-fiance's game, but because of her own impressive 'shoe game.'"

Whatever. Like Shaunie, she is an original cast member.

Continue Reading...

It was only a matter of time.

Mere weeks after Vanessa Bryant became one of the NBA's most famous ex-wives, she has become the Holy Grail for producers of VH1's misnamed Basketball Wives.

The people behind the show are prepping to make Kobe's ex-wife an offer she can't refuse, with sources say "an extremely lucrative pitch for Vanessa" is imminent.

As one source put it, they will do whatever it takes to get her, since, “Vanessa has more than enough storyline and would bring the show to another level.”

Producers never dreamed of approaching Vanessa Bryant while she was married to the L.A. Lakers superstar, who she recently left due to Kobe's repeated cheating.

Budget constraints were also an issue when the show was in its infancy, but with Wives pulling in big ratings for VH1, and Vanessa single, times have changed!

Sources say producers would instantly make her the LEAD star the show or spin off an L.A. version with her as the centerpiece. We're not buying it, though.

First of all, Vanessa scored $75 million in their divorce. VH1 isn't going to woo her with money, in other words, and it's unclear if she wants to be a fame whore.

Even if she does, we doubt Kobe will agree to have his daughters on the program, which could be a tough workaround as Vanessa will have primary custody.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Chad Ochocinco and Evelyn Lozada are still very much together, and still getting married. But it was a close call, requiring the NFL star to save their relationship.

He did it the old fashioned way: Groveling.

Lozada put their wedding plans on hold after she suspected 85 was stepping out on her, but did not 86 the relationship altogether because Chad stepped up.

According to sources, Ocho broke down this week and apologized (for exactly what, it's unclear), saying he would do whatever it took to win Evelyn Lozada back.

He even suggested the two go to couple's counseling. Impressive.

Evelyn agreed and they'll seek help to work out their trust issues.

Through her rep, Evelyn said the following, "The strain from our busy schedules started to take a serious toll on our relationship. Yet after spending much needed quality time together, Chad and I are in a good space."

Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, again!

[Photo: WENN.com]

Chad Ochocinco's fiancee Evelyn Lozada may 86 the couple's wedding for good because she suspects 85 has been cheating behind her back, according to new reports.

The Basketball Wives reality star recently confronted the Chad after she became suspicious about his recent behavior ... and apparently wasn't moved by his reaction.

The couple hasn't split up, but the wedding is off ... for now.

Evelyn Lozada and Chad Ochocinco are (were?) set to marry this summer.

While Evelyn hasn't "officially" cancelled the wedding yet, things aren't looking good right now. It's still unclear if this will be resolved in time ... or at all.

To make matters worse, Chad and Evelyn were supposed to begin shooting their new reality show in just three weeks. That plan is also now up in the air.

Lozada was also at the center of cheating allegations recently - with Terrell Owens no less - but this time it's Ocho who's supposedly been running around.

We know you can't take the suspense, but we'll keep you updated. Stay tuned.

[Photo: WENN.com]

The producers of Basketball Wives are doing more than re-signing Evelyn Lozada to up the ante for Season Four. There will be new cast members in the mix, as well.

Controversial ones at that.

Kenya Bell (below, right) will be joining the show this coming season, and has already "assumed the role of the villain" and gotten into a few fights with the girls.

Bell is a former Miss Michigan USA who was arrested for allegedly trying to effing stab her husband, former Michigan State star Charlie Bell, with a box cutter.

Standard Basketball Wives procedure, really.

Interestingly, not only was Kenya with Charlie before he went pro, but she also has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. So she's not a gold digger?

Weird. The other new cast member is Kesha Ni'cole Nichols (above, left). She planned to wed NBA All-Star Richard Jefferson back in 2009, but he bailed last minute.

Almost literally. They were set to tie the knot in $2 million wedding, but Jefferson called a 20-second time out, breaking up with Kesha Ni'Cole via email.

Nichols talks openly about the wedding that wasn't on the show and has, at least thus far, been well-liked by the rest of the cast. But just give it time.

Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada has been convinced to come back for another season. She's so darn valuable, she was given an insane deal she couldn't pass up.

Evelyn was prepared to leave the VH1 "hit" before its fourth season, but she was given a package that allows her to work less, earn more, and get her own spinoff.

Even a Basketball Wives cast member isn't dumb enough to reject that.

Earlier this fall, Evelyn had made up her mind that she was done with the show after a VH1 blog post suggested she cheated on her fiance, NFL star Chad Ochocinco.

(Cheated with Terrell Owens, to be exact).

However, once Evelyn Lozada let producers know she was out, they really made a push to keep her. Guess you gotta go all out to keep your prized "talent" in house.

Her new deal requires her to film half as often, with the flexibility to work around her daughter's school schedule and Chad's NFL games, all while getting a big raise.

The icing on the cake? The network promised to spin off Evelyn and Chad into their own show, documenting the months leading up to their wedding. Hallelujah.

Is Chris Brown the man gettin' down and freaky with Draya Michele in a new sex tape that's making the Internet rounds? Or is it some Breezy impostor?

Brown's rep says the person who stars in a new XXX video being shopped around L.A. is definitely not Chris, despite salacious reports to the contrary.

According to MediaTakeOut, the mystery seller wants $50,000 in exchange for footage which allegedly features Brown and the Basketball Wives star.

Draya Michele, as you can see, is not shy. But did she freak with Breezy?

MediaTakeOut claims they have seen the alleged Chris Brown sex tape, but sadly, were forced to pass on the thing because it was out of their price range.

Nevertheless, the singer's rep says "The report is absolutely not true."

A second source in Brown's camp smells a conspiracy, in fact.

"Doesn't it seem like a coincidence that every time Chris has a major performance or event on the horizon, some fake story like this breaks?" he asked.

It's true. These stories do seem to follow Chris Brown wherever he goes ... though he can take responsibility for some of that with his well-documented actions.

Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan of the NBA's LA Lakers and VH1's Basketball Wives fame, respectively, have announced their split. They had a nice run together, mostly.

After calling off their engagement last year, but convincing the public they're still a couple, the two confirmed the breakup we ALL knew was coming this week.

Matt emailed out a statement today about the split from Gloria Govan (sister of Gilbert Arenas baby mana/Shaq mistress Laura Govan), saying the following:

“I’d like to address rumors surrounding mine and Gloria’s relationship. We've reached the difficult decision of ending our relationship and will be going our separate ways. We will work together to raise our sons and wish each other only the best.”

Gloria just tweeted her statement saying:

"I'm sure you guys are hearing a ton of buzz about Matt and Me breaking up, sorry to say... its true!!!!!! But the most important thing is focusing on my kids and continuing to have a good relationship with their father, thanks for your support!!!"

A heated Twitter exchange this month between Matt and a fan - who suggested Barnes should Govan or else someone else will - was a bad sign.

Responded Barnes: "He can have her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Classy. Meanwhile, she Tweeted Saturday: "If someone is dumb enough to walk away, be smart enough to let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you."

Well spoken, Gloria Govan. Well spoken.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Evelyn Lozada swears she is DONE with Basketball Wives.

The reason is not because she was neither a wife, nor married to a basketball player. She's simply fed up and insists no amount of cash will change that.

Mmm hmm. Heard it all before. Like Sammi and Ronnie on Jersey Shore, she and the VH1 program always end up back together (and painful to watch).

Why is this time (supposedly) different?

Sources close to Evelyn say Lozada made up her mind after VH1 posted a blog implying Evelyn cheated on fiance Chad Ochocinco with Terrell Owens.

Evelyn is furious and claims the rumor - which apparently surfaced earlier this year and was a point of contention with the network - is simply untrue.

She feels betrayed by the network, which has since pulled the blog. Still, Lozada has already decided enough is enough and says she won't be back.

Evelyn is now looking for other opportunities and will focus on planning her upcoming wedding to Ochocinco, according to reports. Thank goodness.

[Photo: WENN.com]

The original version has given us a catfight, multiple lawsuits, the entertaining presence of Evelyn Lozada and few women that are actually, current wives of professional basketball players.

In other words: you have a lot to live up to, Basketball Wives: Los Angeles!

VH1 will premiere the second installment in this franchise on August 29. Its cast will be comprised of:

• Kimsha Artest, wife of Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest.
• Jackie Christie, wife of former shooting guard Doug Christie.
• Imani Showalter, ex-fiancée of Charlotte Bobcats' crazy man Stephen Jackson.
• Gloria Govan, fiancée of Lakers bench player Matt Barnes and sister of Laura Govan and season one cast member.