'Basketball Wives' Star Draya Michele Dumps Orlando Scandrick, Goes Fully Topless In Celebration
She seems to be taking it well...which is good.
Getty Images Who is Draya Michele? The model, actress, and fashion designer has been a hot commodity in the urban market for many years. Her cache went up, significantly, when she was cast on the hit reality show, Basketball Wives L.A., and became a household name outside of the "urban market."
Since she first got with Orlando Scandrick, her relationship has been under a bit of a microscope, mainly because of her increased profile — and because of his former career in the NFL, playing as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys (though he's currently a free agent).
Let's look at what we know about this rather interesting woman.
1. Who is Draya Michele? She started out as Chris Brown's girlfriend.
Born in Reading, PA, to an Italian father and an African-American mother, Draya Michele was, perhaps, on her way to becoming a beautician, especially after her parents enrolled her in cosmetology school.
However, she had dreams of being an entertainer, and even though she couldn't find success as a singer, she lighted out to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling and acting career. Michele first came into the public eye when she emerged on the arm of Chris Brown in 2011.
2. She has two children.
Draya Michele has two children: one child, Kniko, is with a man who ultimately went away to prison shortly after she got pregnant. She made a post on Instagram about her first child's father to clarify that Gilbert Arenas wasn't the baby daddy, but the post was subsequently deleted. Another child, Jru, is with Orlando Scandrick.
3. Draya Michele has several clothing lines.
Michele frequently comes under fire from people who claim that she isn't a good mother, but despite these criticisms, Michele manages to remain successful in the fashion industry. She owns Mint Swim, which she established in 2011. She also launched the Fine Ass Girls clothing line in 2013, and launched Beige & Coco in 2016.
4. She started dating Orlando Scandrick in 2013, and their relationship was very volatile.
Though Michele and Scandrick have been an item since 2013, in May 2015, the couple called it quits. Just one month later, Scandrick got down on one knee and proposed to Michele, and gifted her with a $400,000 diamond ring to commemorate the occasion.
You would think that this would mean the relationship was on stable ground but, apparently, it wasn't, because in January 2016, she got pregnant with their son, Jru, and called off their engagement in the same month. They stayed "off" for six months, during which their relationship got even more volatile (there were even some domestic violence accusations), and reunited shortly before their son was born.
5. Draya Michele claims she and Orlando Scandrick broke up again in November 2019.
“I have been single the entire month of December. So if anyone has anything to say about me or the guy I used to be engaged to, save, it. We don’t care. Merry Christmas everyone," she said on her Instagram stories.
6. And to commemorate the split, Michele posted a topless photo.
Well, we can honestly say she's taking the split in good strides. Earlier today, Draya Michele posted a topless photo — with a Penthouse magazine covering the important parts — to commemorate the split from Orlando Scandrick.
Good for you, Draya!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.