For months, the 17-year age gap between Draya Michele, 40, and her NBA star boyfriend, Jalen Green, 23, has been the subject of intense public scrutiny. The couple has faced a barrage of online criticism, a storm so intense that Green once deactivated his social media during the playoffs, telling everyone to “leave my girl out of it.” But now, it seems they’ve decided to lean into the conversation, and they’re doing it with a whole lot of humor.

In a recent appearance on Whistle’s “Home Team” relationship quiz, the couple put their chemistry on full display, and the age gap was front and center. When asked what the title of their reality show would be, Draya didn’t hesitate: “Dre and Jaylen, Bridging the Gap,” she said with a laugh, before looking at the camera and adding, “It’s the age gap, y’all. It’s the age gap.”

The playful jabs continued throughout the video. The most hilarious moment came during a debate over who was the better driver. After Jalen claimed the title, Draya delivered a knockout blow. “I mean, I’ve had a driver’s license like your whole life,” she said, a line that had Jalen cracking up. She wasn’t done, adding, “And it’s whole,” a playful jab at his broken license. She even questioned his basketball knowledge, teasing him about his idol, Michael Jordan. “How were you watching Michael Jordan? He was already done when you was around,” she joked.

The video, which was posted to Whistle’s Instagram, even caught the attention of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who dropped two laughing emojis in the comments. But Arenas’s laughter comes with a complicated backstory.

Just a few months ago, he was at the center of a controversy for comments made on his podcast. While discussing Draya and Jalen with Nick Young, Arenas made suggestive remarks, saying, “Pregnant, pregnant? Got the young boy,” a clear reference to the couple. The conversation took an even more personal turn when Young brought up a past encounter with Arenas and Michele, to which Arenas replied, “She’s a mother now.” The remarks were so out of line that they drew criticism from current NBA players, with Giannis Antetokounmpo calling them “out of limits.”

The history between Arenas and Michele runs even deeper. For years, rumors have swirled that Arenas was the father of Draya’s oldest son, Kniko. It’s a false allegation that Draya herself has publicly debunked. It’s a messy, complicated, and very public web, but through it all, Draya and Jalen have shown a united front, focusing on their family and their new life together.

A new chapter in Phoenix: How Draya Michele and Jalen Green are supporting each other

While the online world is busy dissecting their relationship, Draya and Jalen are focused on building a new life in Phoenix. The trade that sent Green from Houston to the Suns was a massive professional shift, but it was also a huge personal one. And as Draya made clear, her priority is making that transition as smooth as possible for him. “My main responsibility is to support him wherever we were going,” she said in a recent interview. “He’s not gonna have to lift the finger. I’ll handle all of that so that he can just relax and play basketball.”

That support has been grounded by a major family milestone: their daughter, Lyght Green, recently celebrated her first birthday. Draya shared a heartwarming post, writing, “My baby girl @lyghtgreen turned 1 on Mother’s Day … she the sweetest gift ever.” The date was especially poignant for Draya, whose own father passed away on Mother’s Day in 2021. Lyght’s birth has transformed a day of loss into one of joy, a beautiful, grounding moment for a family in the middle of a major transition.

And on the court, Jalen is already feeling the support from his new team, particularly from the franchise’s cornerstone, Devin Booker. “I saw Book out here and he called me when I was out in Phoenix trying to look for a house,” Green revealed. That simple phone call was a huge gesture, a sign of immediate investment from his new superstar teammate.

It’s a gesture that has Green feeling confident about the Suns’ underdog status. “People don’t expect us to do anything,” he said, but he’s excited about the offensive firepower he and Booker will bring. “We’re two people who know how to score the basketball… So it’s going to be fun.”

It’s a story that’s just beginning to unfold. A young family planting roots in a new city, a young star ready to prove the doubters wrong, and a couple that, despite all the outside noise, seems to have found a way to support each other through it all.