The Milwaukee Bucks power forward Bobby Portis Jr.’s parents are from Arkansas. Portis Jr.’s biological dad left his mom, Tina Edwards, to raise Bobby by herself when the NBA player was only ten months old.
The 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Bobby Portis has seen several hardships throughout his life.
Raised in the projects of Little Rock, Bobby and his family faced several evictions and multiple moves.
But throughout these adversities, Portis’ mom, Tina Edwards, stood strong simply because she knew her son would one day become a star.
It was Tina’s motherly instinct that pushed her to make Bobby focus on basketball from the time he was a kid. It also helped that Tina was also a former basketball player.
After spending his early years with the Bulls, Bobby moved to Washington to play for the Wizards in February 2019.
At the start of the 2019 season, Bobby was traded to the Knicks, and after one season, Bobby found himself in Milwaukee with Giannis and Co.
Bobby was part of the 2021 Championship team and has remained an integral part of the Bucks. The Bucks’ sixth man is currently averaging 12.8 points, 7.5 total rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
Bobby Portis Jr.’s Mom Tina Edward,s Is A Former Basketball Player
Bobby Portis’ mom, Tina Edwards, played basketball at Hinds Community College in Mississippi and accepted a scholarship to Jackson State University before getting pregnant with Portis.
During an interview with ESPN, Tina said,
I think he pushed himself — ‘Hey, I can do the same stuff my mom did.
via: ESPN
Edwards explained she chose motherhood over basketball when the time came.
Tina did her best to fulfill both parental roles. She would show Portis moves before games and enjoyed watching him play.
In her ESPN interview, Edwards recalls thinking her son would become a baseball player as she would throw the ball, and he would hit it out of the fence.
After Portis’ biological dad left him, Tina raised her son at her father Ortis’ house.
Edwards was serious about her son’s basketball career as she didn’t allow him to play video games during the week.
Homework had to be completed between 2:30 and 4:30 before basketball practice at 5 p.m., and C’s were allowed in any subject, only A and B.
Portis followed his mom’s every instruction and maintained a decent 3.2 GPA in high school and college.
In short, Portis says, his mom didn’t want him to be an average kid.
Bobby Fought For His Mother’s Safety When He Was Only 14
When Bobby was a teenager, Tina was dating a man with whom she continues to have a relationship.
One day, when Portis, 14, was working on his English paper, he overheard Tina and her boyfriend getting into a heated argument.
After hearing what his mom’s boyfriend was shouting at her, Bobby thought enough was enough.
He took his mom’s hand and then decided to leave. When Bobby and Tina reached the door, Tina’s boyfriend swung.
Luckily, Bobby and Tina weren’t hurt. In his interview with Bleacher Report, Portis said Tina’s boyfriend tried to attack Bobby, but Bobby wasn’t scared of him.
After calming down for a while, Tina’s boyfriend suddenly tried to swing at her. After that, Tina, Bobby, and her three other kids, whom she shared with her boyfriend, left.
But a few months after that incident, Tina and her boyfriend patched things up, and Tina says that was the only time he became violent with her.
Since 11th grade, Portis has used this incident as his pre-game ritual. Before every game, Portis gets himself angry by envisioning the individual player he’ll be facing as someone slapping Edwards.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- In their interview with Bleacher Report, the NBA star and his mom said Bobby’s biological dad lives in Alabama.
- Bobby Portis has a foundation, The Bobby Portis Foundation, which provides support to single mothers.
