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Photos: Gilbert Arenas' ex Laura Govan shares moments from coaching daughter Hamiley Arenas' AAU team

Modified Apr 22, 2025 04:35 GMT

Gilbert Arenas’ ex, Laura Govan, has shared a rather unknown side of her. In an Instagram post she shared on Monday, she shared the side of her that coaches basketball. Yes, Laura Govan coaches basketball and is currently the head coach of AAU side WhyNot Premier.

Govan is an accomplished player and coach of the game herself. She stated this in an update she put on her Instagram story days ago and also included it in her latest post on the platform, writing:

“What y’all don't know is that I coach basketball. I've been a player and a coach of this game all my life. I've coached and played at every level. Now I get to coach my baby @hamileyarenas0.”

Govan is closely associated with basketball at every level through her ex, who's a three-time NBA All-Star. All of her children with the former Golden State Warriors guard are playing basketball at different levels.

Her son, Alijah, is one of the nation's top basketball prospects and a USC commit. Her eldest child, Izela, played for the Louisville Cardinals last season and has now entered the portal.

Her third child, Hamiley, just concluded her freshman season at Notre Dame High School, reaching the 500-point threshold. Similarly, Govan's youngest child, Aloni, is already a notable figure in the middle school AAU basketball world.

How good was Laura Govan's playing career?

Laura Govan was a standout basketball player while in high school. She played for Oakland High School, where she led the state of California in scoring. She earned a scholarship at New Mexico State, going on to play two seasons there.

Following her exit from New Mexico State, Govan went into coaching. However, she would soon start working for the Sacramento Kings, featuring on their public relations team. It was while at this job that she met her future partner, Gilbert Arenas, who was at the time a player with the Golden State Warriors.

The two went on to have four kids together, although their relationship never blossomed into a marriage.

While she might not have reached the peak of her basketball playing career, she has dedicated herself to supporting her children to reach theirs. With her current coaching role, she's inspiring a generation of girls with talent and interest in the game.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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