Matt Barnes’ Dating History Explained

Former NBA player Matt Barnes started his career in the spotlight for his championship-winning basketball skills. However, like many champs who came before and after him, his activities off the court became more of a hot topic.

While Matt shows his life as a family man on WeTV’s The Barnes Bunch with his fiancee, Anansa Sims, and their blended family of six, he’s had a few public moments of being unlucky in love throughout his career. Many women he’s reportedly dated have also had their fair share of reality TV.

Here’s a look at Matt Barnes’ dating history.

Matt’s time in the spotlight began when he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002. As his career soared, so did the Santa Clara, Calif.’s attention from the ladies. However, Matt eventually settled down with Gloria Govan, whom he met as a teenager.

Gloria and Matt started dating in 2006. In 2008, they welcomed their children, twins Isaiah and Carter. Then, in 2010, Gloria signed on to star in Basketball Wives, where she and Matt showed their family and journey walking down the aisle before they eventually married in 2013. ‘

In 2015, Matt and Gloria divorced and moved on to other relationships. According to multiple reports, Matt used his newly single status to date more eligible bachelorettes. During the time of his divorce, he was romantically linked to Rihanna, though neither of them confirmed any truth to the rumor. The All the Smoke co-host reportedly briefly dated model Jena Frumes in 2017. That same year, he met and began dating Anansa, a plus-size model and supermodel Beverly Johnson’s daughter. The couple shares a son, Ashton Joseph, born in 2018.

Three years into Matt and Anansa’s relationship, the couple separated in 2020 due to Matt’s struggles with monogamy. Showbiz Cheat Sheet reported in 2021 that the split was so bad that Anansa claimed Matt became “obsessive” and began harassing her on social media and via text.

Throughout the pair’s chaotic split, Matt reportedly kept his options open. In September 2022, HotNewHipHop reported he was possibly dating former Love & Hip-Hop star Cyn Santana. The reality stars kicked off romantic rumors after fans spotted them sharing posts on their Instagram Stories with similar views of the Empire State Building in New York around the same time. However, Matt and Cyn never officially confirmed or denied being a couple.

After reportedly dating a few models and reality stars, Matt reunited with the woman he had been waiting for — Anansa. The pair reunited in 2021 and became engaged in 2022. In December 2023, Matt and Anansa announced their plans to show the world their blended family (Anansa has three kids from a previous marriage) on The Barnes Bunch.

“We’re excited to give people an inside look at our big, beautiful, crazy, blended family. Stay tuned,” the couple shared in a joint press release, per Essence.

When The Barnes Bunch premiered on April 19, 2024, Anansa and Matt didn’t hold back on discussing their separation and their trust issues after Matt’s past infidelity. In the first episode, they showed their audience that they’re in couples’ counseling and are willing to do what’s best for their family while navigating co-parenting with their exes.

Matt definitely scored with his future wife!

The Barnes Bunch airs new episodes on WeTV on Fridays at 10 p.m. EST.