Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan's Messy Custody Battle for Twin Sons — All the Details

Matt Barnes and his former wife Gloria Govan were embroiled in a messy custody battle over their twins for years— find out what happened between them.

At some point, Matt Barnes was married to Gloria Govan, a reality TV star with whom he had twin boys before they decided to call it quits.

Their divorce heralded the beginning of the custody battle for their twins, and it went on for quite some time as neither party was interested in seeking a compromise. Keep reading to know more.

THEIR BEGINNING

Barnes and Govan initially became acquainted when she was just a 12-year-old. Nothing happened at first, and the two spent some years apart before reconnecting when Barnes, an NBA player, played around Govan's hometown of Oakland.

They began their relationship in 2006 and were blessed with twin boys, Carter and Isaiah, in 2008. Things went well for the first couple of years; however, trouble reared its head in 2010 when Barnes was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse against Govan.

Upon investigation, the police revealed that they discovered signs of a struggle in which both parties endured injuries; however, Barnes was identified as the primary aggressor.

Govan refused to acknowledge the allegations, and in a statement she made, the reality TV star explicitly tagged the accusations false. The charges were dropped eventually.

THEIR LESS-THAN-PERFECT UNION

After the domestic violence incident, people expected a split, but contrary to that, Barnes and Govan decided to tie the knot. In 2013, the pair got married in a seaside ceremony held in Santa Barbara, California.

The event was well planned, but there was a little hitch. While the handsome Barnes waited for his bride to walk down the aisle, one of their twins had a miniature meltdown, and the proud father got it on camera.

He shared the footage which caught his son, Carter, unceremoniously throwing down the flowers he carried as he walked across rose petals with his mom behind him.

The tantrum did little to dampen the excitement of the day— a pleased Govan had even boasted on social media about how the day would be recorded as one of the "greatest days ever!!!"

THE SPLIT

Two years after Barnes and Govan were united in holy matrimony, they announced their separation. In an interview with VladTV in 2015, the reality TV star stated that she could not pinpoint the cause. She alleged that it was nothing specific and that the relationship had simply run its course.

THE LOVE TRIANGLE

Matters between Govan and Barnes took on a different dimension when it was revealed that she was in a relationship with Derek Fisher, her husband's former teammate and close friend.

When the two appeared in court, Barnes won the case and retained sole custody.

Govan and Fisher were legally married to their spouses when they started dating in 2015, a bone of contention that created a chasm between him and Barnes.

They had both been teammates on the Lakers team between 2010 and 2012, but that did not stop Barnes from allegedly driving several miles to beat Fisher up after finding out.

However, the police got involved. Barnes would later reveal that he only drove 15 minutes to see his kids, who he thought felt uncomfortable with Fisher in the house.

Barnes and Govan finalized their divorce in December 2016, but the battle line had been drawn between the two athletes who exchanged verbal jabs for several years via social media.

THE CUSTODY DRAMA

In 2018, shortly after Fisher and Govan got engaged, Barnes petitioned the judge to deny her custody of their boys because she was a danger to their safety.

Barnes had enough reason— Govan had been charged with felony child endangerment after she got in a physical tussle with him at their children's school.

Barnes was awarded full custody of the two boys plus a restraining order that ensured Govan stayed 100 yards away from him at all times.

The court also slammed her with anger management sessions and parenting classes. Govan contested the court's directive. She and her lawyer filed documents requesting custody of the boys.

The documents alleged that she only constituted a danger to her kids because of her rocky relationship with their father, and it requested that he be returned to his previous visitation schedule.

When the two appeared in court, Barnes won the case and retained sole custody. After the ruling, the doting father took his boys out to celebrate with a good bowling game followed by golfing at a mini-golf course.

THE AFTERMATH

Govan moved on with Fisher, and Barnes also found love again with his girlfriend, Anansa Sims. The two welcomed their first child, a boy named Ashton, towards the end of 2018. Hopefully, their relationship will go the distance.