Who are Cody and Caleb Martin’s parents?
Cody and Caleb Martin have defied the odds and achieved success in the NBA despite their humble beginnings and challenging upbringing. In the 2019 NBA draft, Cody was selected as the 36th pick by the Charlotte Hornets, his hometown team. Meanwhile, Caleb went undrafted but later joined his brother on the Hornets' roster. In 2021, Caleb signed with the Miami Heat and has become an important player for the team in the current NBA playoffs. It is uncommon for both brothers to make it to the NBA, and their achievement is even more remarkable considering they were raised by a single mother.
The Martin twins grew up in the small town of Cooleemee, North Carolina, under the care of their single mother, Jenny Bennett. Alongside their older brother Raheem, they lived in a run-down, insect-infested trailer. It was there that they first started playing basketball on a dilapidated hoop nearby.
Bennett became a mother in her teenage years and was subsequently kicked out of her house. Cody and Caleb were born just over two years later, and their father was absent from their lives. Bennett worked three jobs to provide for her children, while also facing challenges as a white woman raising three mixed-race children in the South.
“People would say things quite often,” Bennett said.
“One instance where my car had broken down and we were actually walking back to our home and someone tried to run us over. The stares, the looks, the whispers — direct and indirect comments. Those things happened a lot.”
Caleb Martin on his mother’s impact on his life
Cody and Caleb Martin may have had a tough upbringing, growing up in a crime-ridden neighborhood. However, the twin brothers appreciated the sacrifices their mother made for them as well as the values she instilled in them:
“I have a crazy, crazy amount of respect for my mom and all the stuff she’s gone through,” Caleb said.
“Cody and I will reminisce about our childhood, and we now notice all of the stuff she didn’t let us in on when we were little, all of the stuff we realize now. It was hard, but she made a lot of sacrifices like not eating certain nights and passing up job opportunities because she had no help at home and had to be there for us.”
After seeing her twin sons receive full college basketball scholarships from Nevada, Bennett spoke about how all her sacrifices have been worth it:
“It’s been tough at times, but I always told them ‘You sacrifice now for later,’” Bennett said.
“It’s been a rough road, but to see them where they are and to see them happy, it’s been worth it for sure.”
Caleb Martin added that he has no regrets about his childhood and upbringing:
“No regrets at all,” Caleb said.
“Those are the things that make you into the person you are. Everybody goes through some type of tough times and tough beginnings, but that’s when you fight through adversity and it helps you out mentally. When you have problems on the court, you realize those problems are nothing. … When I get down on myself, I catch myself because I know it can be so much worse. I know what we overcame.”