You know you are a part of the niche rap culture genre when your name evokes an image. On the song “Playa,” where Fabolous samples The Notorious B.I.G. track ‘’Playa Hater,” Fabolous said:
“First you tell the jeweler to Audemar Piguet, ya.
Then you tellin’ waitresses to Rosé her.
Bumping VIP, and you meet your first Draya.”
In the song, F-A-B-O warned people about the treacherous nature of fame and the people you will meet on the oath of success. “Draya” is model, influencer, and actress Draya Michele, and in the song, she represents the predatory vixen looking for the next opportunity. Life is imitating art as people are beginning to call her out for a relationship with 21-year-old Houston Rockets player Jalen Green.
Is She Pregnant?
Draya Michele is 39 years old, and rumors are swirling that she is pregnant with Green’s child, which seems strategic to the public. Draya already has two children, one with former NFL player Orlando Scandrick, and now aligning with Green is on-brand, but his age raises red flags for the fans.
This is also because her son, Kniko Howard, is close in age to Green as a current Georgia State University student.
Draya entered the public eye as a cast member on Basketball L.A. in 2011 and has a rumored dating history with a mix of athletes and entertainers. The unknown factor here is Green, who to date is most known for his suspect locker room behavior with his former Rockets teammate Josh Christopher. Last year, the two went viral for a moment when they simulated a sexual act on one another when they were AAU teammates in high school.
Is Draya A Jalen Green “Beard?”
The shock and awe were compounded when another video of them playfully doing a similar act led some to joke that Draya Michele’s appearance was to offset rumors that Green may be gay, with Michele serving as what is otherwise known as a “beard.” However, before Draya, the player was linked to a woman named Breah Hicks, who he was seen with at various events as a couple early last year.
Around August 2023, images of Draya and Jalen Green together began swirling, and she also appeared at a Houston Rockets game recently wearing oversized overalls. Now, the narrative is that a woman who is touching forty is robbing the cradle and having the baby’s baby.
Is the judgment warranted or an example of gender bias? There is a 18-year age gap between the two, with many celebrity men doing the same for years with no outward critiques of their relationships. Regardless, Draya is a talking point for the culture as the caricature of an industry relationship opportunist. Regardless of her actual relationship with Jalen Green, she is a victim of a reputation, whether earned or assumed.
The relationship hasn’t hurt Green’s game a bit. He’s currently playing some of the best ball of his career and, entering Tuesday night, in his last four games he had two explosions of more than 30 points for a Rockets team that is on a streak, going 17-8 in their last 25 games. He’s also grabbed double-digit rebounds in three of his last four games.
Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is averaging 19.4 ppg over his first 2.5 NBA seasons. Just the third NBA player in history of Filipino descent, Green’s team is well improved and is moving toward being a playoff contender after being NBA bottom-feeders for his first two seasons.
Green certainly made an impression on Lakers coach Darvin Ham during a win over LeBron James’ gang on Monday night.
“They have a three-headed monster in Şengün, Fred and Jalen — those guys can kill you in many different ways,” Ham said. “When you play against Houston, you can’t go in there thinking it’s going to be a walk in the park.”
Trade Rumors Involving Jalen Green
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Zach Lowe, Green is an “under-the-radar” name that league executives have highlighted as potentially being made available in trade talks ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Trading Green wouldn’t make much sense at this point, as he’s just 21 years old and Houston just invested in Ime Udoka and the franchise is seeing clear results. The Rockets already have more wins than last season and we aren’t at the All-Star break.
Houston was tied with the San Antonio Spurs for worst team in the Western Conference and finished 22-60 last season. Looks like the franchise is moving in the right direction, and Green seems to be in a great space in his life, despite the social media banter about a relationship that he’s more than mature enough to handle.
