The Travis Hunter-Leanna Lenee gold digger drama isn’t anything new in the sports world. That’s why so many athletes have actually commented on it and offered advice to Hunter to leave his girlfriend, because many of these men have already had children with multiple women who are cashing out on child support and funding lavish lifestyles with the money.
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson was raised by a single mother in Port Arthur, Texas and like many young Black men from single-parent homes, he struggled as a youth and experienced the harsh realities of street life before overcoming the odds and achieving his dream of becoming an NBA player.
Jackson not only made it to the league, but he became a top player and an NBA champion.
In a recent video post, Jackson, who played 14 seasons for eight teams, including the Spurs and Warriors, averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 858 games, reflects on all of the drama he’s gone through with various women by giving credit to his mother for the way she handles his absentee father.
Stephen Jackson Credits His Mother For Not Talking Down On His Absent Father
“Hey, this is the difference between me and a lot of you. Why y’all suckers,” Jackson began.
“My mama raised me different. A Lot of y’all mamas and daddies weren’t together and y’all mama spent her whole life trying to make ya daddy miserable because he done moved on with his life and all she did was talk about him,” he explained. “My mama didn’t do that. She didn’t talk about my daddy. She never pressed child support on him, and he stayed five minutes away.”
Jakson was raised by his mother Judyette as a single parent. She worked two jobs to make ends meet, and during his teenage years, Jackson worked for his grandfather at his soul food restaurant in Port Arthur washing dishes and working tables. Some tragedy came along with the financial struggles. When he was 16 years old, his 25-year-old half-brother Donald Buckner died of head injuries after being beaten.
Through all of the struggle, Jackson says he was allowed to develop his own opinion of his father.
“I sought out my own relationship with my daddy because my mama didn’t demean him in no type of way,” Jackson said. “She didn’t ask him for nothing. If he wasn’t gonna do it, so be it. My mama made it happen.”
Jackson Goes In On One Of His Children’s Mothers For Mishandling Of Child Support
Jackson, who reportedly has kids with five different women, admits to making some poor choices, and in 2023,Jackson went in on the mother of his son for using child support to fund her lifestyle.
Despite paying millions of dollars over the years, his son asked him for $27,000 for a vehicle. Jackson says he’s sent more than enough money to cover those costs and is still being asked to produce more money, which is crazy.
“Message to all the youngsters out there. Ain’t nobody worth having a baby with right now don’t do it,” Jackson said in a video rant.
His point was that he paid millions in child support for his son over the past 18 years and now the boy is calling him for a car because “mama aint going to buy.”
“Where’s the child support money?” said Jackson who agreed to send his son 20K but was thinking that his mom would be able to cover the rest with the child support money she’s been getting.
“I’ve been in court a lot since I been making money. … Mothers can’t get it on their own but want to take yours,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who made over $68 million during his NBA career and currently has an estimated net worth of $20 million, says he expected her to have some money for her son to get his car. She’s living a lavish lifestyle but doesn’t have the money to provide her son with basic necessities such as transportation.
Stephen Jackson Admits To Making Bad Choice With Women
Jackson takes responsibility for having babies with women who were out to also get a payday. He’s lashing out, but he didn’t use much discretion, it seems, when it came to having kids with these women. Sounds like he was a victim of his own decisions as much as the women who he feels are just money hungry.
“Alot of yall mamas sit there and bash the daddy they whole life, make him pay child support and then when child support is up and yall done spent it all, now it’s go have a relationship with your daddy, cause ya mama can’t buy you no car and can’t pay your college tuition,” Jackson griped.
“Mama I love you for doing it the right way. Doing it the G way and you raised a G by not belittling yourself or demeaning my daddy.
I lov ya for that “
Jackson left his fiancée and mother to one of his children at the altar in 2015 because she wouldn’t sign a prenup. Basketball Wives star Melissa ‘Imani’ Showalter shares a daughter with the retired NBA star, and he had plenty of drama and heartache over getting her to sign the prenup, which made him believe she just wanted his money.
Prior to that Jackson was actually married to Renta Elizabeth White and that ended in a nasty divorce. The two married on July 11, 2009, at the Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston. In 2013, Renata filed for divorce from Jackson, which eventually turned into a nasty fight. He claims she only wanted the divorce so she could get more money from him.
Jackson has had some highs and lows in his life and he will forever be a part of NBA history. During the Black Lives Matter movement, Jackson, a close friend of George Floyd, became a vocal activist, attending rallies and protests and using his platform to speak out for civil rights and social justice.
His podcast with former NBA player Matt Barnes, “All The Smoke” was one of the influential player pods that blew up during COVID and really paved the way for the current influx of podcasts by pro athletes.
