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L.A. Basketball Wife Jackie Christie On Being A Baller's Wife

Posted on May 2, 2012 By admin

Despite what you see every Monday night on Vh-1's "Basketball Wives L.A.," there are many things you don’t know about its star, Jackie Christie.

First, the Seattle, Washington native is working on her 5th book: "No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Love and Basketball,” and "Luv-Pons: A Fun & Loving Romance Guide for Couples," written by her and her husband, Doug Christie, were moderate successes. Published on the couple's imprint, Infinite Love Publishing , she also released two solo books, "Proud to Be a Colored Girl," and "Woman," two children’s books "Dougie Goes to School" and Dougie Learns to Ride," written by their seven-year-old son, Dougie, Jr., plus the teen book "I Want To Live," by her teenage daughter, Chantel. "Writing is my passion, but I didn’t realize it until we did the first book," she shares.

Additionally, Jackie is a designer of her own eponymous label made up of clothes that she describes as "tailored, high-end comfort wear,” and confesses to loving clothes more than beauty items. She oversees all of these companies while also running a record label called Jean Rah Fya, responsible for newcomer Bobby Tinsley’s breakout success.

We speak via telephone right after the first episode and she’s as sweet as candy. There isn’t a trace of the “I’ma bust-you-upside-the-head," queen bee that greets viewers weekly. She shares that there are a lot of positive things that will show women in a better light than, say the Miami version. "Jackie," I say, "Are you sure? Because many are truly wondering how much more can we take of the cattiness?"

She assures me it will get better as the weeks progress and that the first show was a lot more about the drama, which, I sense she's still perfectly fine with. After that debut show the L.A. franchise has come under greater disapproval from the masses. "They come off as really judgmental, bitter and, just mean," writes viewers on Twitter. The comments on Facebook and blogs are no better.

So here, we highlight the Jackie we met; the one who explains why she joined the show, what message she really wanted to convey to the audience and how life as a baller’s wife isn't as easy as people believe.

AMBERmag.com: What made you decide to become a member of the L.A. franchise?
Jackie Christie: I was approached by the producers and I checked with my husband and while he was a little cautious about it at first I didn’t have any trepidations because I liked everybody [who was being considered]. I live in L.A. and I have a message and I hope viewers can see my message through everything in the show.

AMBERmag.com: What is the message you want to spread?

JC: A lot of great things. Ours is not a show where you'll see a bunch of women fighting; we’ve opened our lives and it’s not like any other show. With Miami, it's a great town, but this is LA—it's the epicenter of Basketball—everything is done on a bigger scale and I think there is a lot more passion surrounding all the different situations. I respect everybody’s opinion and I only ask that everyone reserve judgment; everybody has to judge for themselves.

AMBERmag.com: So is this how you want women of color to be seen?

JC: I am hoping you will be surprised as we unwind the season. It won’t be a lot of sit down and eating with each other. You will be able to see what we really do day-to-day and people will relax. You have to remember the networks are putting out what people are responding to most.

AMBERmag.com: What did you think of the first episode?

JC: I thought it was good; I thought it showed some life lessons. The fight scene, though was bothersome. My thing was we were all trying to become friends and Tanya was not sharing with us. We all knew what happened with her husband, but she wasn’t engaging with us. There was a murder; you can’t sit there and not clarify some rumors.

AMBERmag.com: That first fight scene was shocking to many people. Have you ever gotten into anything similar with another Basketball wife or groupie?

JC: No, not in a very long time. I’m thrilled Laura and Malaysia were able to put it behind them and move on. I thought it was good that the viewers were able to see that even after a physical altercation people can still move past it and be friends.

AMBERmag.com: Does it bother you that a show called Basketball Wives includes girlfriends or former girlfriends, or ex wives—and that you're one of the only ones actually married on the show?

JC: No, not at all. I think our show allows the viewers to get an in-depth look into the lives of many different women and to see how it is at each stage in a relationship. So no, I don’t mind it.

AMBERmag.com: What are the most common misconceptions people have about being married to a "baller"?
JC: I think that people don’t take into account the sacrifice that a woman has to go through. We have to be a supportive partner and sometimes put things that are near and dear to us on hold to be there for our spouse and children.

AMBERmag.com: You've been married for 16 years, was there ever a time when your marriage hit a wall? And if so, how did you to overcome it?
JC: No, never. Doug and I have always remained committed to our commitment and by doing so we don’t allow failure to be an option.

AMBERmag.com: Was it love at first sight for you and your husband?
JC: Yes, at least for me it was. However, we didn't immediately get into a relationship. In our book "No Ordinary Love" we talk about our journey and how we went through what lots of couples go through before deciding to get married.

AMBERmag.com: Tell us about the book?

JC: When we started to write our first book, it was because we wanted to squash the rumors about our marriage. There was so much from my life and we gave tips to other couples and I found that writing was a definitely passion. I love being able to share my experiences by writing. My mission in life is to help people and writing is a way to spiritually connect and mentally connect with everyone.

AMBERmag.com: How did the rumors start?
JC: It started with a female reporter who was being flirtacious with my husband and I told her you’re never going to win this, but you are going to respect us. And she put that rumor out there that I was controlling and I was a bitch, etc. I let her know that wasn’t cool. The problem was this is who we are. Doug and I love each other and respect our marriage. What is so weird about that? We just ignored it at first, but then there were so many rumors. Thankfully, it never affected our relationship because we are happily married and after a few years, those same reporters who helped spread the rumors had a change of heart. A lot of them called to apologize about what they originally wrote about our marriage.

AMBERmag.com: What are some of the keys to keeping a marriage intact?
JC: We have five main tips to keeping our marriage healthy and strong: respect, communication, honesty, loyalty and intimacy. It’s 16 years later and we’re still going strong.

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Written By : Marcia A. Cole

Tags: basketball-wives-la-jackie-christie