A nine-year relationship involving Gilbert Arenas and the mother of his three children - with another on the way - has gotten ugly.
The WASHINGTON POST reports that Arenas broke up with the mother of his children, Laura Govan, around Thanksgiving.
More from the WaPo’s Amy Argetsinger:
A representative for Govan - yes, there are reps involved this time - told The Washington Post that Arenas has cut off communication and funds from her and their three children.
Govan, who is four months pregnant with their fourth child, “has not heard from Arenas the whole month of December,” said publicist Laura Wright in an e-mailed statement. “Govan and the children feel like they have been abandoned.”
Wright - who has worked for Govan’s sister Gloria and her fiance, Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes - said that Govan was left at their Great Falls home “with no money to purchase food or Christmas gifts.”
Arenas has yet to comment on the accusation from his former fiancee though he did tell reporters before he was traded from Washington to Orlando that he’d been staying at teammate Nick Young’s home for “about a month.”
After he was traded from the Wizards to the Magic, Arenas told the Washington Post on Dec. 20 that he couldn’t wait to jet - literally - from D.C.:
“I went to the airport and left. I didn’t have a chance to say bye to anybody. I didn’t even say bye to the kids.”
This isn’t the first time Govan has had a highly publicized breakup with Arenas. From the Post:
Behind the scenes, their relationship has often been tumultuous: After a few years of on-off dating, she gave birth to their daughter Izela in December 2005; the bitter child-support battle that followed ended with a romantic reconciliation a few months later. They welcomed a son, Alijah, in March 2007. After another breakup and makeup, they got engaged in September 2008 at a splashy family party with ice sculptures and a moon bounce (yes, he blogged about it). Last December - just weeks before the guns-in-the-locker-room incident that foreshadowed the end of his Wizards career - their daughter Hamiley was born.
We can debate about how Arenas is handling his relationship with his former girlfriend Govan. And her decision to use a “publicist” in an attempt to soil Arenas’ already trampled reputation. But there’s no denying that the children are innocent victims in this situation and at the very least Arenas should be taking full responsibility for them all - regardless of how disagreeable he may find Govan. (And the possible additional circumstances of their relationship that Govan chose not to volunteer.)
Mike Wise of the WASHINGTON POST had this on Govan and Arenas in 2007:
Within weeks, though, Arenas and Govan were arguing over issues of custody, paternity and the fragile state of their relationship. Govan hired an aggressive Bay Area law firm, which threatened to embarrass Arenas by serving him with a paternity suit on national television during a game in Sacramento on March 28.
Arenas was advised by his attorney to avoid being served a subpoena in the state at all costs, noting that he could suffer a severe personal loss of wealth because of California laws governing paternity and child support.
Arenas said Wizards owner Abe Pollin agreed. “Abe Pollin was like, ‘This can’t happen,’” Arenas said.
The team concocted a story: Arenas had the flu. “I called my teammates. They said: ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to win this game. We’ll meet you on the plane.’ ” Arenas watched on television in his hotel room as the Wizards beat the Kings without him. The team spent the night in Sacramento, but Arenas flew to Houston with at least two teammates, he said.
If the Wizards don’t enable Arenas in that situation, would he be in this predicament today?
6:09 pm on December 29th, 2010
Black fatherhood is never too taxing. Arenas out!
6:46 pm on December 29th, 2010
Just another high-profile black athlete not being responsible. Selfish ignorant thug. He”ll get his.
6:57 pm on December 29th, 2010
Really caught by surprise by this article cause Gilbert always seemed like a down to earth guy.
7:44 pm on December 29th, 2010
Why do so many black dawgs father so many children ??? Their creating more criminals and welfare recipients !
10:12 pm on December 29th, 2010
I’m confused. The Wizard actually TRIED to win a game? Why isn’t this story getting out?
5:20 am on December 30th, 2010
Shaq hit that multiple times in the last 2 years…. her publicist probably forgot to mention that part
12:46 pm on December 30th, 2010
She doesn’t have a job?? So really she’s relying on Arenas after they broke up? Who is paying the publicst? She had no food in that mansion out in Great Falls, VA? And why release this info to the Media, why not lawyer up and go get the money she is entitled too? I wouldnt even be suprised if Arenas was ‘paying’ her back after she was running around with Shaq behind his back…
smh
1:34 pm on December 30th, 2010
Pure 100% trash, both of them. He won’t have anywhere to play in a couple of years and no saved money. She needs to understand that this sudden lack of $$$ is just the begining of a long road back to being broke with too many kids and no hubby.
2:12 pm on December 30th, 2010
Or you can be like Newt; keep divorcing your wives when they get cancer and marrying your interns. White thug
3:32 pm on December 30th, 2010
To: no one important (second string) - well…your inference about Newt is correct; there’s no color barrier to being a punk. Happy New Year
8:33 pm on December 30th, 2010
Don’t think race has anything to do with it. Or even times/generations. Plenty of white “fathers” went out to get milk or to the bar or wherever and never came home.
9:17 pm on December 30th, 2010
hey give Gilbert credit he is smart enough to have the same “baby momma” instead of 4 different “baby momma”.He keeps the child support down to one woman instead of 4 black Ho’s.
12:18 am on December 31st, 2010
I’m gettin’ tired of these basketball wives still relying on their men to pay for their lifestyle after they split up…I’m gonna assume that she probably doesn’t have a means to make her own money so she just wants to have a piece of Gil’s money…She should go out and get a job…He should take care of the kids, but that’s it…I wouldn’t support her either…She’s gotta be a gold digger that’s just out for the money… F that
4:32 am on December 31st, 2010
why is it always a black thing? other men does the same thing but you dont mention it.
but he should support his children.
6:51 pm on December 31st, 2010
72% of black children born to single mothers. That’s why it’s a black thang.
2:54 pm on January 1st, 2011
I don’t know what is the saddest part, some low-rent chick getting pregnant 4 times from a pro athlete that won’t marry her or another professional athlete that can’t or won’t be responsible for kids that he has because he’s done with the woman that is their mother. There’s too many contraceptive choices for unwanted pregnancy, so I have to assume that Mr. Arenas wanted to have these kids, now he should be man enough to provide for them. If he feels that this female is using them, he has the resources to petition for custody & raise them himself. I don’t care about him or this woman, but somebody should care about these children. And for all of you ignorant folks that think it’s about race, I pray for you & hope that non of you have procreated, because the world is already overrun with ignorance…
8:49 pm on January 1st, 2011
Tell her to holla at Shaq for the money.
11:30 am on January 3rd, 2011
Joe,
Is that the NEW math you are using?
Are you really that stooopid, dude?
The stat is actually 72 births out of every 1000 ( or .072 percent).
Just like it is 32 births out of every 1000 for white women (and rising at a faster rate than blacks since 2002):
Why do people like you need to embelish just to feel superior?
And what about the stats for all your Europeans, those numbers are REALLY eye-poping except that they do not serve your purpose, do the?
12:23 pm on January 3rd, 2011
Hiltop,
Excuse me for pointing out your miscalculation; 72/1000 is NOT 0.072%; it’s 7.2% (remember to multiply by 100 when expressing the product of a ratio as a percent). Frightening and sad; both you and Joe.
1:14 pm on January 3rd, 2011
The woman in question has a Masters in Psychology. She is currently pregnant with his fourth child.
10:39 pm on February 12th, 2011
Ok 1st of all why is this girl having another baby? Why did she have all these kids and she is not married. I think she likes Drama and just want money. Don’t she understand that if she black ball him to the point he makes no money she don’t get money. CRAZY !!!!!!!!!!!!