Brooke Bailey is best known for her time on Basketball Wives, but her story goes far beyond reality TV. She has built a career as a model, entrepreneur and influencer while raising her children and navigating relationships and divorce. Her life took a heartbreaking turn in 2022 when her 25-year-old daughter, Kayla Nicole Bailey, died. Since then, Bailey has continued to honor Kayla’s memory while balancing motherhood, growing her businesses and sharing parts of her journey with fans.
Brooke Bailey Before Basketball Wives
Brooke Bailey’s first break came almost by accident. According to a report by Baller Alert, a casting director named Anissa Williams spotted Bailey dancing at a party, gave her a business card and contacted her days later. The opportunity eventually led to a music video featuring Beenie Man and Janet Jackson.
Modeling soon became a major part of her career. She appeared in Smooth, Low Rider, Black Men and King magazines, including a Low Rider cover with Ice Cube. An archived model profile also credits her with appearances in music videos for artists including Lil Wayne, Akon, Snoop Dogg, The Game and 50 Cent.
Bailey was also conscious of how women in the industry were portrayed. In a 2011 interview with BlackSportsOnline, she pushed back against the tendency to label women in hip-hop as “video vixens.” Instead, she spoke about wanting women to show their personalities and tell their own stories. She wanted them to do more than simply appear in the background.
She kept modeling even after she became a reality TV personality. She has said she saw the work as more than just a stepping stone to television. At the same time, she was building a family. She had her daughter, Kayla, at 19 and became a stay-at-home mother after high school.
Brooke Bailey’s Basketball Wives Career and Businesses
Bailey joined Basketball Wives LA during its second season in 2012. VH1 introduced her as a model and single mother. At the time, she was romantically linked to NBA player Rashard Lewis. She also became known for her friendship with fellow cast member Draya Michele.
Reality TV gave Bailey a bigger audience, but she was already looking beyond the show. During her time on Basketball Wives LA, she worked on a lingerie business called Toiche Moi. The venture did not go exactly as planned.
In a 2014 interview, Bailey explained that her original business arrangement fell through, leaving her with more of the work than she’d expected. Rather than rush a product to market just because it carried her name, she said she wanted to build something she genuinely believed in.
Her entrepreneurial plans didn’t stop there. Bailey later moved into fashion, beauty, home decor, travel and wellness. Some of her brands include Opulent Icon, Skin by Brooke Bailey and My Life Cleanse. Her Linktree also connects followers to her businesses, her YouTube channel and other platforms.
Brooke Bailey’s Children and What Happened to Her Daughter Kayla
Brooke Bailey is a mother of three: daughter Kayla Nicole Bailey and two sons, including Shumecio. While Kayla became familiar to some Basketball Wives viewers, Bailey has kept her sons largely out of the spotlight. Kayla, meanwhile, had already built an identity of her own. Known to family and friends as “Pretty Black,” she lived in Memphis and worked as a certified hairstylist while growing her own beauty business, KNB Inc.
Sadly, Kayla died in a fatal car crash in Memphis on Sept. 24, 2022. Bailey announced the news on Instagram the next day, sharing photos of her daughter and calling her “Forever my baby.” In the days that followed, she continued to post memories of Kayla, along with messages from people whose lives Kayla had touched.
When Bailey returned to Basketball Wives for Season 10, her story had changed considerably. On the show, she opened up about her divorce, her business success and the loss of her daughter.
How Brooke Bailey Keeps Kayla’s Memory Alive
Bailey has spoken openly about her grief. In the months after Kayla’s death, she described spending days fasting and praying, and said those experiences helped prepare her for the loss. She has also called the 25 years she had with Kayla a blessing, remembering her daughter as a source of happiness.
That grief has stayed part of her life. On the first anniversary of Kayla’s death in 2023, Bailey wrote on Instagram about how hard it was to keep moving forward. She said she could still feel Kayla’s strength, and called learning to live without her one of the hardest challenges she’s faced. Many of her decisions, she added, still remind her of conversations she once had with her daughter.
Brooke Bailey’s Relationship Status
Image credit: @TheNinaParker/X
Brooke Bailey’s love life has taken more than a few turns over the years. Before she ever appeared on television, she dated retired NBA player Rashard Lewis around 2010, a relationship that reportedly led to her being cast on Basketball Wives LA in the first place. She was later linked to NBA player Vernon Macklin around the time she joined the show in 2012.
Bailey went on to marry former basketball player Ronnie Holland in 2014. The couple renewed their vows in Malibu in 2016, but they eventually divorced. Since then, Bailey has been open about wanting to approach relationships differently. In a 2019 interview with Baller Alert, she said she was single and dating, but in no rush to marry again. Reflecting on her marriages, she said she wanted a partner who would support her career instead of feeling threatened by it.
She later surprised her Basketball Wives castmates when she opened up about a romance with Baltimore businessman Kevin. The relationship quickly became serious, and the two got engaged. But long distance created problems that eventually played out on the show.
In late 2024 and early 2025, there were speculations about Bailey dating Nigerian Afrobeats star Timaya. The two were spotted together in Nigeria before breakup rumors surfaced later. Bailey, though, has not publicly confirmed her current relationship status. For now, she appears to be keeping that part of her life private.
Where is Brooke Bailey Today?
Basketball Wives came to an end in 2025. After 12 seasons on VH1, creator Shaunie Henderson announced in January that the show would not return, closing out a run that began back in 2010.
Bailey has appeared less on reality TV in recent years, choosing instead to focus on projects outside the franchise. Since the show ended, she has leaned more heavily on KNB Life Inc. and her personal social media to carry Kayla’s story forward.
Bailey has already lived through the highs of television fame, the demands of running a business and a deeply personal loss. Now, she appears to be embracing a more independent, private chapter, one she’s building on her own terms.
