Now, onto Evelyn Lozada. She’s been a lightning rod for controversy long before her days on Basketball Wives. Back in 1999, she crossed paths with professional basketball player Antoine Walker, who was then making a hefty $9 million with the Boston Celtics. Evelyn was there through it all, taking care of home and kids from previous relationships, though she made it clear she stayed out of the financial side, as she revealed to Bossip.
When Antoine moved to the Miami Heat in 2005, Evelyn followed suit, and they even got engaged. But then, the plot thickened. Antoine bounced between teams, landing with the Minnesota Timberwolves and later the Memphis Grizzlies, before his NBA career hit a rough patch. And with career troubles came personal woes. In 2009, he faced a DUI charge, followed by accusations of writing $1 million worth of bad checks in Las Vegas just months later. Tough times indeed.
You know, it’s wild how some of the younger folks these days don’t even grasp the concept of a good old-fashioned check. Let me break it down for them. Back in 2010, dude tried to kickstart his basketball comeback in Puerto Rico and the D-League. But guess what? Things didn’t pan out as he hoped. Money troubles started creeping in, but then TMZ dropped a bombshell: even though his bank account was on life support, he still managed to drop $560,000 on Evelyn to launch a shoe store in Miami. Remember that joint? Anyway, as his finances went from bad to worse, he had to hit up bankruptcy court in 2010. And get this, around the same time, Evelyn decided to call it quits on their ten-year relationship. His take? “Evelyn rode the wave of my success, but when things got rough, she bailed.” With a career haul of almost $110 million, it was a bitter pill to swallow—when the cash dried up, so did the love. He spilled, “Evelyn moved on quick, didn’t even check in on me.” Ouch. Fast forward to 2011, Evelyn found herself dragged into his bankruptcy mess. The trustee claimed that fat check she got was just a scheme to stash his cash from creditors. She denied it, and he backed her up, but the trustee wasn’t buying it. Eventually, Evelyn coughed up $440,000 to settle the score. But here’s the kicker: when dude started airing out his grievances about Evelyn bouncing when he was down, she fired back to Bossip, saying their relationship was on the rocks way before he hit rock bottom financially. And in a tweet, she dropped the bomb that infidelity was the final straw. Yet, despite her efforts to explain her side, folks won’t let her live it down—she’s forever branded a gold digger, steering clear of broke dudes.
During the pinnacle of his NFL journey, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson found himself thrust into the limelight with VH1’s enticing offer for a dating show dubbed “Ocho Cinco: The Ultimate Catch.” Yet, as per reports from the New York Daily News, Chad unwittingly unraveled the mystery of the show’s outcome by casually announcing on Twitter that he had found a new flame outside the show’s contestant pool. The man had a knack for creating drama, that’s for sure. And that new flame? Well, it turned out to be none other than Evelyn. Their first encounter unfolded dramatically on the Season 2 finale of Basketball Wives, as Evelyn jetted off to Cincinnati to meet Chad for the very first time. In a rather cringe-worthy moment, Chad couldn’t resist commenting on Evelyn’s slender frame, but he quickly followed it up with an assurance that he could overlook it. As for Evelyn, she admitted she wasn’t quite ready to dive into a serious relationship, but fate had other plans for them. In a candid chat with her friend Jennifer Williams, Evelyn spilled the beans that she and Chad didn’t waste any time getting intimate from day one. Talk about a whirlwind romance! Just four months into dating, they found themselves exchanging engagement rings. Their rollercoaster journey was well-documented on Basketball Wives, including their heartfelt visits to a fertility clinic. There were moments that raised eyebrows, like when Evelyn seemed to give Chad a pass to stray, as long as he practiced safe sex. And let’s not forget Chad’s attempt at poetry, likening Evelyn to the last slice of pizza nobody wants. Was that meant to be a compliment or a dig? It’s still up for debate. The couple even inked a deal for a VH1 spin-off, chronicling their journey to marital bliss. Chad didn’t hold back on social media either, live-tweeting throughout their grand wedding ceremony on July 4th, 2012. But alas, their honeymoon phase was cut short. Barely a month after saying “I do,” Evelyn stumbled upon a damning piece of evidence in Chad’s car – a receipt for condoms. Confrontation ensued, leading to a violent altercation where Chad ended up headbutting her, leaving a painful gash on her forehead. As Evelyn recounted, it was a moment when she felt the warmth of blood trickling down her face. The repercussions were swift; within a mere 24 hours of his arrest, the Miami Dolphins severed all ties with Chad, and VH1 promptly pulled the plug on their reality series, leaving their dreams of marital bliss shattered.
In August, Evelyn filed for divorce. On September 21st, 2012, Chad pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and was put on probation for a year, with a no-contact order in place. Despite Evelyn being the victim, some lacked sympathy due to her fiery portrayal on Basketball Wives, and doubts arose about her accusations. The situation worsened when she was blamed for Chad’s career downfall. But seriously, did she somehow headbutt herself? Chad’s NFL career took a hit post-arrest, leading him to play in Canada and Mexico before retiring in 2017. He later owned up to cheating during their brief marriage. In 2020, Chad reflected on his arrest on Twitter, expressing regret for losing everything over a momentary lapse in temper. Evelyn, however, took to Instagram to set the record straight, frustrated by misinterpretation and defending herself against accusations of ruining Chad’s career. She emphasized the importance of truthfulness, admitting past issues, and striving for authenticity, while differentiating her reality TV persona from her roles as a mother and partner.
“That day, and so many others, were filled with experiences I never imagined I’d endure.” People online didn’t hold back in their comments, saying things like, “Don’t expect sympathy, gold digger. Just go away. Seriously, dude.” Another social media user pointed out, “No one should ever lay a hand on you, but maybe it’s time to reflect on how you treat others. It’s important to think about the impact we have on people, especially when we’re feeling hurt ourselves.” It seemed like everyone was quick to blame Evelyn for her failed relationships, and most people sided with both Antoine and Chad. Not only was Evelyn accused of being a mean girl, but some even called her racist. During an episode of Basketball Wives in August 2018, she mistakenly referred to her Asian castmate, CeCe, as “Lily.” The backlash was swift, with an online petition calling for Evelyn to be fired from the show. As criticism mounted, Evelyn apologized in writing and later explained herself in a video. But things only got worse when she called Jackie Christie a “cockroach” during an argument. People were outraged, and some even said she deserved to be punished. In 2019, Evelyn found herself in yet another feud, this time with her co-star, OG. When OG revealed that Chad had pursued her romantically, Evelyn lost her temper. Their argument spilled over onto social media, with Evelyn resorting to personal attacks, including calling OG ugly. This led to Evelyn urging others to boycott OG’s content in a post captured by Neighborhood Talk. She even posted an image of an ape, which only added fuel to the accusations of racism and colorism against her. Evelyn defended herself, saying it was unintentional, and that she simply used the first emoji that popped up on the app.
“Sure thing! When asked about her ongoing beef with OG, Evelyn opened up to Love B Scott, saying, “I’ve treated her the way I have because, frankly, I just don’t like her. It’s got nothing to do with her skin color or race.” She also shared how being labeled as racist by OG led her to consider moving into a gated community due to receiving death threats. Evelyn also claimed that she lost endorsement deals because of OG’s accusations. As a result, she decided to take legal action, suing OG for defamation and attempting to secure a restraining order, but unfortunately, the judge denied it. In retaliation, OG countersued, alleging that Evelyn’s lawsuit caused her undue stress and chest pains. The current status of the case remains uncertain, and it’s all quite a mess, to be honest. Basketball Wives fans weren’t exactly sympathetic, taking to Twitter to express their lack of pity for Evelyn. Some even drew parallels between her situation and Chad’s loss of endorsements. In 2019, OG accused Evelyn of cultural appropriation and criticized her for using the N-word during filming for Basketball Wives, a claim Evelyn vehemently denies. She maintains that those scenes were later edited out. Interestingly, Evelyn, who had previously only identified as Latina, suddenly claimed Afro-Latina heritage during a September 2019 E! News podcast. She explained that she decided to explore her ethnic background further following OG’s comments. Humorously, she added, “It’s funny, because this season someone asked me, ‘Do you think you’re black?’ I’d never been asked that before. I guess I do now.”
“I proudly mentioned that I grew up in New York,” she exclaimed. But instead of receiving nods of understanding, the response was rather dismissive. “Girl, what’s that got to do with anything? She’s just off her rocker. Just because you grew up in New York doesn’t automatically make you black,” came the retort.
Despite her fervent assertion of being Puerto Rican, a proud New Yorker, and identifying as Afro-Latina, the online community wasn’t buying it. Comments flooded in, urging Evelyn to take a step back. “Girl, just take a seat. Seriously,” one comment read. Another bluntly stated, “If you have to take a DNA test to figure out if you’re black, you’re definitely not.”
Faced with backlash over her newfound racial identity, Evelyn turned to her Instagram story, where she shared the dictionary definition of Afro-Latino. But many remained skeptical. “We don’t need a definition, honey. We know who we are,” one response said. Others questioned if Evelyn was adopting the Afro-Latina label as a way to deflect accusations of racism or anti-black sentiments.
Allegations about Evelyn’s attitudes towards blackness weren’t anything new. Some social media users accused her of using anti-blackness to boost her own image. They claimed that her dating history and actions only perpetuated harmful stereotypes about black women.
In 2019, Evelyn tried to shift her public persona by announcing that she had been baptized and was now abstaining from premarital sex. This declaration came after a string of failed relationships, including ones with athletes from the NBA, MLB, and NFL.
But despite her efforts to rebrand herself, Evelyn’s personal life continued to attract attention. Her engagement to businessman Ivan Lewis, which played out on the reality show Queen’s Court in 2023, ended abruptly in October of the same year. Returning to Basketball Wives for its eleventh season, Evelyn faced criticism from fans who were tired of her antics. They felt it was time for her to gracefully bow out, especially with her 48th birthday approaching.
As the show’s popularity dwindled, many viewers expressed their weariness with Evelyn’s presence. Some even suggested that it was high time for her to step back, considering her age. If you enjoyed this video, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching.