Retired NBA small forward Stephen Jackson’s wife, Tamara Jackson, stood strong to defend her husband, with many alleging he made her sign a prenup before their wedding in 2023.
Jackson, 46, was one of the NBA journeymen who became an NBA Champion.
The Texas native won his only ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 as the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets 4-2.
Drafted by the Phoenix Suns as a second-round pick in 1997, Jackson was waived by the team and began his professional basketball journey from the CBA league.
He made his NBA debut in 2000 with the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets) and played for seven other NBA franchises.
Stephen Jackson‘s best years came with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets between 2007-11.
During his tenure with the Hornets (then Bobcats), Jackson averaged 21.1 points, a career-high.
Since his retirement, Jackson has found incredible success as a podcaster.
The former NBA player, with his co-host Matt Barnes, also a former NBA player, runs the podcast All The Smoke.
The two former NBA players have been able to translate their podcast success into business ventures, including launching their own liquor, ANILLOS MEZCAL, in 2024.
Stephen Jackson’s Wife, Tamara Jackson, Comes In Defense of Their Marriage
In October 2023, Stephen Jackson and his wife, Tamara Jackson, had to clarify a few rumors floating around about their marriage.
On October 3, 2023, Tamara took to her Instagram to respond to a story involving her husband, Stephen, and his ex-fiance Melissa Imani Showalter.
There were talks that Jackson refused to marry Melisa as she didn’t agree to sign the prenuptial agreement.
But Tamara said in her case, she didn’t have to sign any such contracts before tying the knot with Jackson.
Tamara has deleted the Instagram post clarifying the rumors but a few websites covered the story.
In her now-deleted Instagram post, Tamara wrote:
There was never a pre-nup mentioned to me….not before our wedding, during our wedding, or any other time in our whole relationship for that matter. Would I have signed one? Yes, but Stephen knows what we have is REAL LOVE, he knows I’m nothing like the rest.
Via Black Enterprise
Tamara kept going as she had more to say to the online trolls about how happy she and Stephen were in their marriage without any prenup or child support obligations.
She said what she has with Stephen is just pure, genuine LOVE.
Tamara and Stephen began dating in 2015 and tied the knot in 2021.
On December 5, 2024, Tamara shared a gallery of images and videos from their wedding day on their third anniversary.
One of the first videos shows the former NBA player dancing as he held his wife’s hand, and another video shows them cutting their four-tier cake.
Stephen Jackson Confirms The Reason For His Breakup With Ex-Fiance
Tamara convinced her Instagram followers that Stephen didn’t make her sign any prenup before their wedding in 2021.
But the former NBA player confirmed in 2024 that he tried to make his ex-fiance Melissa Imani Showalter, sign those documents, which led to their breakup.
Jackson opened up about his 2005 failed wedding day with Showalter on the Relationships Matter podcast.
The NBA player said:
My wedding was getting ready to start, and I had been telling her two months before we was going to Texas. Look, I’m telling you now, you need to sign this prenup. Cause I’m telling you don’t try me when I get there.
Via Instagram
At first, Showalter told Jackson she would 100% sign the prenup, and Jackson even warned her that on the wedding day, if she refused to sign the document, he would embarrass her in front of everyone.
Meet "Stephen Jackson", The NBA Star Who Dumped His Fiancée At The Altar And Went To Party After She Refused To Sign Prenuptial Agreement 'In Case Of Divorce' 🤑😏
— PoloMan (@polo_man404) May 18, 2024
Retired NBA star Stephen Jackson didn't go ahead with his marriage to his fiancée, Imani Showalter, after she… pic.twitter.com/o5Xijs99d2
Jackson’s intuition came true, and Melisa hadn’t signed the prenup on the wedding day.
Staying true to his word, Jackson canceled the wedding with Showalter.
After hearing Jackson’s side of the story on Instagram, Melisa took to her Instagram to tell everyone that Jackson had given her two weeks to think about the prenup and not two months like he said in the video.
Melissa and Stephen share a son named Stephen Jackson Jr.
Stephen Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently a basketball player at DME Academy.
Standing at 6’5, Jackson Jr. plays guard and has shared a few clips of him on X (formerly Twitter).
In 2020, Stephen gave a shoutout to his son for the hard work he was putting on and off the court.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Before tying the knot with Tamar and calling off his engagement with Melissa, Stephen Jackson was married to Renta Elizabeth White. The two married on July 11, 2009, but divorced four years later in 2013.
- In 2020, Jackson revealed that he had been friends with George Floyd since their teenage years. Floyd was murdered by a policeman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020, which led to Black Lives Matter protests nationwide.
