Basketball Wives is a television show chronicling the life of the women in the lives of NBA players. It was the brainchild of Shaunie Nelson, formerly Shaunie O'Neal, ex-wife of Shaquille O'Neal. It is currently broadcast every Sunday on VH1. While the name of the show is Basketball Wives, none of the women featured is married to an active NBA player. The women primarily featured in the show include:

Shaunie Nelson (formerly Shaunie O'Neal, née Va'Shaundya Nelson), ex-wife of Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaunie conceived the show some time before it began to film, and she and Shaquille separated in the intervening time. A "non-disparagement" clause in their divorce agreement means that Shaunie is not allowed to speak negatively of Shaquille in public, and as a consequence she makes no direct reference to him in the show. Shaquille is said to have considered legal action to prevent the show from being broadcast. She is currently dating 23-year-old model Marlon Yates.

Royce Reed, ex-girlfriend of Dwight Howard and the mother of his child, Braylon Joshua Robert Howard, born November 2007.

Due to legal impositions, she is not allowed to mention Dwight Howard's name in the show or suggest any connection with him. As such she is generally referenced as a "former dancer for Miami and Orlando", without a mention of either franchise's name. On two previous occasions Dwight Howard has mounted lawsuits against her, once for posting pictures of Braylon online, and once for trashing him anonymously online.

Evelyn Lozada, ex-fiancée of Antoine Walker.

Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised Evelyn met Antoine Walker while working as an assistant to an celebrity attorney. Evelyn has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship. She currently owns an upscale shoe boutique in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami. In April 2010 naked pictures of Evelyn Lozada were leaked to the internet.

Jennifer Williams, wife of Eric Williams.

Jennifer Williams is the only one of the basketball wives actually married to a player, although Eric Williams retired from the NBA in 2007. Nicknamed "Red Carpet", she works in real estate and is an owner of Flirty Girl Fitness. The early episodes of Basketball Wives suggest a strained relationship between Jennifer and Eric, although they remain married.

Suzie Ketcham, ex-girlfriend of Michael Olowokandi and mother of his two children.

Suzie met Olowokandi while she was a student at Pepperdine University, and the two were a couple for over ten years. She describes herself as a "social butterfly" and is active on the Miami social scene. She has ambitions of working in real estate and is currently involved with several charitable organizations.

Gloria Govan, fiancée of Matt Barnes and mother of his two children.

24-year-old Gloria is a mother of twin boys and the youngest of the basketball wives. She often clashes with the other wives due to her adamant stance that Matt is different from other NBA players and that their relationship is strong enough to weather the standard challenges of the professional basketball lifestyle. There is tension between her and Shaunie at points due to the scandal surrounding her older sister. Laura Govan, formerly Gilbert Arenas' fiancée, is said to have cheated on Gilbert with Shaquille while he was still married to Shaunie. Shaunie, however, tells Gloria that she doesn't hold it against her in the first episode.