Source: Bossip.com

A new face seen hanging with the crew of “Basketball Wives LA” this weekend will be a permanent one on the set of the reality TV show during the second season. We already knew at least one or two ladies would be added to the cast since Metta World Peace’s wife Kimsha went MIA after about two episodes, as did Tanya Williams, and VH1 confirmed that the new person is Brooke Bailey.

Keeping with the trend of not having actual wives on the show, Brooke is not married. I’m not even sure she’s in a relationship, because according to Sister 2 Sister, she sounds more like a former sidepiece.

“[I]t’s her affiliation with NBA baller Rashard Lewis that likely qualifies her to co-star on “Basketball Wives: L.A.,” they wrote.

“Back in 2010, Brooke was accused of coming between Rashard and his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child at the time.  While Rashard may have been discreet about his dealings with Brooke, she’s said to have been quite overt, sitting on the sidelines at games to root for her man.”

Considering the way the cast came at Draya when they first met her, Brooke likely didn’t receive a warm welcome to the group, although from the looks of photos during her birthday pool party at the Bikini Swim Club in Los Angeles, they appear to all be buddy-buddy at this point. All that’s known about Brooke is she is a video model who previously appeared on E!’s reality show “Candy Girls” back in 2009. She’s also appeared in music videos by 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Mims, Akon, and Rich Boy. So yeah, Draya 2.0.

One person who’s missing from the photo above is Imani Showalter, and according to VH1′s blog she’s reportedly not returning to the show. Three ladies down and one new replacement? Maybe less girls will mean less drama. What do you think?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: TheYBF

This is even more weird than Toni and Eddie. “Basketball Wives LA” star Imani Showalter took a long break from the dating scene after calling it quits with ex-fiancé and NBA star Stephen Jackson, but it seems she was just waiting for God to lead her to the right man.

A source has told HipHollywood.com that Imani has managed to snag Grammy-nominated gospel singer Marvin Sapp and the two could be on their way down the aisle. Imani supposedly met Marvin in LA when he was judging the Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound choir competition at the Staples Center in October. After meeting before the show, the source says:

“The two exchanged information and immediately started corresponding after the show. A week or so later Marvin flew her to Grand Rapids to visit him and so she could experience his church.”

That sounds typical for a christian brother. Since then, though, the source says the two have been inseparable, with Marvin flying Imani out for various concert dates and preaching engagements. She supposedly traveled with the Lighthouse Full Life Center Church preacher to Chicago for a concert at the New Life Covenant Church in late December and was also by his side when he co-hosted the Stellar Gospel Awards in Nashville during Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend.

“They’ve been spending quite a bit of time together. They’re definitely falling in love and I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up getting married,” the source said.

Imani was one of the more calm members of the LA cast so this relationship may not be as taboo as it seems on the surface; although there is the issue of that random bikini photo she uploaded to Twitter not that long ago. The source says if Imani thinks the church members are going for that she better think again.

“If she seriously wants to be with him and plans to become the First Lady of his church, the last thing she needs to be doing is tweeting risqué photos of herself. That’s just a big no-no!”

If these two do somehow make it down the aisle, they’ll be raising a Brady bunch. Imani has three kids from her relationship with Stephen, and Marvin Sapp is also a widowed father of three. In September 2010, Marvin lost his wife Malinda to colon cancer.

What do you think about these two? Jesus be a fence or Jesus take the wheel?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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At an event in October...

In today’s installment of “Somebody, come get your mother!” Basketball Wives LA star Imani Showalter (the one who called Draya worthless) took to Twitter (@IamMelissaImani) to showcase her new figure. Not that she was actually large at all during the first season of the show, but she looks substantially leaner and very different in the face. In the shots from her Twitter, the reality personality is seen trying on a new bikini that she is looking to wear on an upcoming trip to St. Barths. She recognizes that she looks absolutely different in the pics and acknowledges it to her followers who were probably stunned: “Yes it’s really me haha” Not sure if this is a result of some hard core boot camp classes or what, but the difference in her look from the show and now is tres interesting–and she looks pretty good.

While the swimsuit is cute, and once again, she looks to be in good shape, we can’t help but wonder why she’s doing the ABSOLUTE most right now??? As a mother of three, I don’t think I would tweet pic photos of myself in a scandalous a** bikini for the whole Internet to see (at least not for free…). Save all that for when you actually get to the pool–not a minute earlier. But then again, she wouldn’t be the first mommy we’ve seen on social media taking scandalous photos bent over stoves and squatting over tubs for social media “friends” to see…

Do you think Imani looks fab? Would you ever take photos like this as a mommy?

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I thought it was odd/refreshing that Imani’s ex Stephen Jackson was mum throughout all of Season 1 of Basketball Wives LA, but now that he’s decided to speak out, he can crawl back into whatever hole he came from.

Jackson stopped by The Joy Daily Show to give his thoughts on the series, and for the most part what he said was to be expected, but I think he tried to hit a little below the belt when the host asked him why Imani hasn’t dated since they broke up.

Here are some of the highlights of the interview:

How he feels about the show

Well, I have two kids by a woman that’s on the show and I really don’t have a problem with it. If she can benefit from it and not put my kids to look bad in any light then I don’t have a problem with it. It’s not affecting me at all. They can on there and say what they want; it’s not going to affect me. At the end of the day, we weren’t really married so she’s not really a housewife.

Imani not dating since they broke up

That’s weird ain’t it? I’m married; it’s been a long time. I don’t won’t no props for that. Move on with your life. I’m married and I’m fine; don’t worry about me and do your thing. I don’t want you.

On the title of the show being misleading

It should be “Women That Slept With Guys In The NBA.” What’s the girl’s name? Deadra? Deja? [Draya] should be the star if that’s the case because half of them wasn’t married. I thought if you look up the definition of ‘housewife’ it says you’re married, you don’t work and you live at home.

On whether Shaunie is exploiting the women on the show
You can’t say that she’s exploiting them; she’s making money! It’s a business. You can’t blame her for the way they look on the show because at the end of the day, they’re all grown women. So any situation they are in, they put themselves in; they signed those contracts to go on the show, so you can’t blame Shaunie for none of that. All those women on that show are over 25, over 30, and some of them over 40 and they’re lying. At the end of the day, they know what they’re doing and the blame is soley on them.

NecoleBitchie.com has the rest of the interview.

What do you think about Stephen Jackson dismissing his nine-year relationship with Imani? Do you think she’s still single because she’s worried about him?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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