Veteran basketball player Trevor Ariza is the oldest son of his mother, Lolita Ariza, from her early relationship with his biological father Trevor Saunders.
When Trevor was still a kid, his mother married Kenny McClary, following which he spent his childhood with his half-siblings under his stepfather’s care. His stepdad made him love the game he knew best.
Kenny was formerly a collegiate basketball player for the Florida Gators and later played professional basketball in Australia and Venezuela.
Trevor Anthony Ariza, better known as Trevor Ariza, is an American professional basketball player who last played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season. However, he averaged only 4.0 points per game in 24 matches.
Born in Miami, Florida, Ariza spent his early years in different cities because of his dad’s profession, including Caracas in Venezuela. As a teenager, he attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, where he showcased his exceptional abilities in basketball.
After graduating, Ariza enrolled in the UCLA and played collegiate basketball for the Bruins in the 2003-04 season. He went for the NBA draft immediately after his freshman season and began his professional career with the New York Knicks in 2004.
Who Is Lolita Ariza, Trevor Ariza Mother?
Lolita Ariza is the mother of the famous NBA player Trevor Ariza. Lolita gave birth to Trevor as her firstborn kid on June 30, 1985, in Miami, Florida.
Although he is the biological son of Trevor Saunders, belonging to the Grand Turk island in the Caribbean, Trevor spent his childhood with his stepdad and half-siblings across the Americas, including in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela.
Speaking more of his mother, Lolita is the daughter of the Turks and Caicos Islands native Osvaldo Ariza. She spent her early years on the island and later won the Miss Turks and Caicos title.
After moving to the United States, she met Trevor’s dad, but she later married the professional basketball player Kenny McClary. Aside from Trevor, the pair had two more sons- Kenny Jr and Tajh.
Unfortunately, Lolita’s youngest son, Tajh, died at the age of six, after falling from a hotel room in Caracas, Venezuela. Following that, Lolita separated from Kenny and raised her two sons on her own, doing various jobs in Los Angeles, California.
Lolita Ariza Always Wanted Her Son To Be An Athlete
Appearing in a podcast show named Court-Side Moms, Lolita Ariza said that she always wanted Trevor to become an athlete.
Ariza further said that she always knew Trevor would have a growth spurt as his biological dad was tall. So, when he was a kid, Lolita and her relatives always gifted him balls and other sports equipment to make him love sports.
Consequently, Trevor spent his early years playing football, basketball, and baseball aside from school. As he started getting taller in his early teens, Lolita advised him to focus entirely on basketball.
She later enrolled him in Westchester High School, which had one of the best basketball programs in California, and over the years, Trevor became one of the best-emerging power forwards in the nation.
Fulfilling his mother’s dream, Trevor later debuted in the NBA after the New York Knicks chose him as the 43rd overall pick in the 2004 draft.
