Matt Barnes and his ex-wife Gloria Govan have had some very public disputes in recent years, which is why it was somewhat surprising to see Barnes wish her a happy birthday this week. Unfortunately, the good vibes quickly took an ugly turn.
Govan, who has twin sons with Barnes, celebrated a birthday on Thursday. Barnes tried to put the former couple’s differences aside by complimenting her and saying the two are “still on the same team.”
“Wanna wish the mother of my children a very Happy Birthday! Hope this day is everything you hoped for and more,” Barnes wrote in an Instagram post. “Although things have been rocky to say the least the last 4yrs I hope that for the sake of our two beautiful baby boys we can come together & co parent them to the best of our abilities! No more games or bulls—. They need both of our love & support equally! We lead different lives now but we still on the same team. Anyways cheers to your day!! Peace Love & Happiness.”
To say Govan did not appreciate the sentiment would be an understatement. She replied by reminding Barnes that she’ll see him in court next week, which inspired the former NBA forward to instantly change his tune.
If you’re familiar with the backstory, that seems more like it. The relationship between Barnes and Govan really soured back in 2015 when Govan and Barnes’ former teammate Derek Fisher got into a physical confrontation. Fisher and Govan have been dating basically since Govan separated from Barnes, and Barnes has even heard nasty chants from fans about it during games. That’s probably the last time he’ll wish the mother of his children a happy birthday.
