Gloria Govan on Why She Returned to 'Basketball Wives'

Says she supports her sister, Laura, 100%

Gloria Govan is smart. After surviving on Basketball Wives’ initial seasons, even getting the show’s executive producer Shaunie O’Neal to act out of character, Govan left the show, only to get her own spin-off centered around her and her L.A. Laker fiancé, Matt Barnes.

Govan, who helped hand select the cast, is the central character in Basketball Wives L.A., which premieres Monday, August 29 on VH1. The mother of two-year-old identical twins took time to chat with Loop 21 after her boys’ baptism, to dish on why she came back to the show, what it’s like filming with her sister and if she’ll hear wedding bells anytime soon.

Loop 21: Why did you decide to join the cast of “Basketball Wives L.A.?”

Gloria Govan: I’m obviously a huge fan of the Miami show but when we moved to L.A. when Matt [Barnes] got traded to the Lakers, Shaunie [O’Neal] had offered me the opportunity to do the spin-off ... this time you can be around people that you like and that you know and so that’s why. I like these girls and I had the opportunity to jump on board.

So why did you choose Draya Michelle? She’s not tied to a specific basketball player.

Draya was chosen on the cast because we met Draya through acting class and she seemed like a real sweetheart. Not necessarily knowing her background per se, but just knowing she had some involvement. She kind of plays the role of Royce [Reed] I guess you could say, in terms of her role on Basketball Wives L.A. That’s one of the reasons. We just wanted to give everybody a different dynamic, a 3D version of what we have to deal with as wives and different points of view.

How does it feel to have your sister involved? I think a lot of fans are excited to meet her.

It was a lot of fun. My sister and I, we’re sisters, we compete, we argue, bicker ... it’s all sisterly love but it was a lot of fun. My sister and I get along really well. We have our moments where we argue, her getting on my nerves and me getting on her nerves but it was a lot of fun. I’m excited that people are going to see a different side of Laura [Govan] and get her take on her situation and kind of get to see us interact as sisters.