Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was in a relationship with his baby’s mother, Laura Govan, for over a decade, with whom he shares four children.
Gilbert started dating Laura in 2002, and during their time together, they welcomed four children.
The couple were even engaged and on the verge of getting married officially at one point during their relationship.
However, their relationship went downhill quickly, and they ultimately split in 2014. After that, they have had a strained relationship, remaining on bad terms.
Since then, Gilbert and Laura have had a messy public relationship, with many court battles and other drama surrounding their lives.
Gilbert Arenas Switched the Real $400,000K Ring for a Fake One With Which He Had Previously Proposed to His Baby Mother!
The NBA star had proposed to Laura with a $400,000 ring, which she happily accepted. Following the engagement, the couple decided to tie the knot.
However, just eight days later, the couple encountered a serious issue, got into a fight, and broke up.
Moreover, after their temporary split back at the time Gilbert swapped the original ring that he proposed with for a fake ring.
Gilbert took the opportunity to swap the real diamond ring for a fake one when he and Laura briefly got back together.
So I paid, I think $395k or $495k for the real one. It had big stones… it was a big stone in the middle then it had three stones on the side
The three-time NBA-All Star even admitted his actions himself publicly in a video, saying:
When we broke up, I’m like, “That was a f***ing waste of money. I want my ring back”. So I was like, “How do i get my ring back?” I just got to get her back but when she comes back, I’mma have a fake one.
To further provoke his baby mother he also uploaded a picture wearing the original ring in social media at the time.
While he switched the ring with a fake one, Laura had no idea until they were busy in custody battles for their children.
Following that, Laura filed a lawsuit to get the diamond ring back, while Gilbert commented about using the money from selling the ring to pay his legal fees. He said:
I used the ring money for all the lawyer fees. I was like you can keep taking me to court I got about three more cases until I tap into my own money.
Gilbert ultimately won the case for the ring but had to pay child support for their children.
Gilbert’s Child Support Payments Got Lowered to $7K a Month, and the Ex-partners Still Have a Strained Relationship to This Day!
Following their custody case, the court ordered Gilbert to pay $20k a month in child support, which eventually went up to $44k a month.
However, the court later lowered child support to $7k a month. Gilbert celebrated on social media, happily mocking his ex-partner over the reduced payments.
Years later, the two still maintain a bad relationship and have a strained co-parenting dynamic with their children.
Reflecting on her relationship with the NBA player, Laura shared how he uses her kids to bother her in a podcast with Carlos King, saying:
We were never married.. our relationship today is the same as it was 12 years ago. It’s actually gotten worse.
Now he uses the children. Now he knows how to manipulate it because he can’t directly boether me… he attacks the motherhood side of it.
Furthermore, Gilbert Arenas’s baby’s mother argues that he sometimes falls short as a father, stating that he should focus on coaching their kids, who are following in his footsteps, to play basketball rather than spending money on lavish gifts.
Also, Laura has complained multiple times that monthly child support of $7000 is insufficient to cover all expenses.
When her son graduated, Laura proudly remarked that she had been there for him, raising him and overcoming all the struggles along the way, hinting that Gilbert was never there for him.
Furthermore, she had also publicly accused Gilbert of not visiting their children for over eight months in 2018.
Overall, Gilbert Arenas has had a pretty bad public relationship with Laura, the mother of his four children.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Gilbert Arenas played college football at the University of Arizona, after which the Golden State Warriors drafted him in the 2001 NBA draft.
- Gilbert is a three-time NBA All-Star, a three-time member of the All-NBA Team, and NBA MVP in his final season with Golden State, the 2002-03 season.
- In July 2024, Arenas proposed to his girlfriend, Melli Monaco, and the couple plans to marry soon.
