Matt Barnes Popped the Question to Girlfriend Anansa Sims

Former NBA pro Matt Barnes is making it official with his longtime girlfriend, Anansa Sims.

The ESPN sports analyst popped the question on Christmas Day.  He, along with his soon-to-be bride, shared the photo of the proposal to their Instagram profiles.  Sporting matching pajamas in front of their decorated tree, Barnes is seen down on one knee.  In another slide, the camera captures the moment after Sims said yes, with Barnes holding her as she beams with excitement.  The last slide of the post is a brief video with Sims sporting her gorgeous diamond ring.

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A post shared by Anansa (@anansasims)

These two have known each other since their days attending UCLA.  In 2017 they connected romantically and have been an item ever since.  Their relationship has been engulfed in turmoil at times.  In 2020, they called it quits, with Sims allegedly seeking $15k in child support monthly for their now 4-year-old son.  In 2021, Sims shared that the couple had rekindled their romance, but not without a few more hiccups. In October 2022, Barnes was accused of mistreating Sims’ other children by their father, David Patterson. The model was married to the former Atlanta Falcons player, and together, they share three children.  Peterson claimed that Barnes only interacted with the children during dinner.  Sims and Barnes denied these allegations.

Despite their issues, it’s great to see them prevail in the end.  Sims is not the only one with one marriage already under her belt.  Barnes was married to Basketball Wives star Gloria Govan in 2013, though the union ended in divorce.

Congratulations to Anansa and Matt.