“I once loved a man so much that I was fixing him while he was breaking me.” That one line hit like a gut punch. A story that faded, but it didn’t stop there. Moments later that day, Anansa Sims dropped another bomb in her now-deleted Instagram post: “Why Matt?? 8 different women in January💔” And just like that, what was once a seven-year-long relationship came crashing down in public view. Matt Barnes allegedly cheated on Sims (multiple opinions, and us not the judge), but no matter how bad things got between them, there was one bond he wasn’t willing to break, and that is fatherhood. And now we have proof of that.

Anansa Sims and NBA star-turned-podcaster Matt Barnes were engaged from December 2022 until May 2025. But their story goes way back. The two first crossed paths in the ’90s while attending UCLA. It wasn’t until that All-Star Weekend in 2018 that they reconnected and finally started dating. Both Anansa and Matt came into the relationship with families of their own. Barnes shares twin sons, Carter and Isaiah, with ex-wife Gloria Govan. Meanwhile, Anansa has three children: daughter Ava and sons David and Dean from her first marriage to David Patterson.

Now, even after their recent breakup, one thing hasn’t changed. And that is Matt Barnes’ bond with Anansa Sims’ kids. Their relationship might be over, but the love and connection he built with her children haven’t gone anywhere. Barnes recently proved just how deep that bond is. He shared a heartfelt video on Instagram that, maybe, just maybe, could start melting the tip of the iceberg around Sims’ heart. The moment came after Anansa’s daughter, Ava Patterson, graduated from college. Ava posted the proud moment on her private IG account, @ava.patterson6.

Not long after, Barnes re-shared the video to his own Instagram story, which tagged both Anansa and himself. The caption on the post read: “Just graduated 🥳🥳 @anansasims @matt_barnes9 @melisakpatterson @dpatt97.” Sure, it was a small gesture, but it surely has volumes. It’s a clear glimpse into the family ties that still hold strong, even after the romance has long faded.

Anansa Sims challenges Matt Barnes over his controversial confession

When Matt Barnes opened up about his split from Anansa Sims on his All The Smoke podcast, it sounded like a rare moment of honest self-reflection. He didn’t hold back on where he thought things fell apart. “I was the strong provider, but I wasn’t there emotionally… I wasn’t empathetic… That was stuff that my ex would tell me: ‘I don’t… you’re a wall,’” Surprisingly, this kind of candidness from Barnes is unusual. And it takes a lot of courage to admit emotional shortcomings publicly, especially for a man with such a reputation. But owning a mistake doesn’t mean the whole story is told.

Anansa, however, wasn’t having this one-sided story. She fired back on social media, urging everyone to hear both sides before jumping to conclusions. “Don’t post half-truths about me and our past relationship to gain sympathy from the masses,” she wrote, clearly frustrated by what she felt was an incomplete narrative. 

The plus-size model didn’t just confirm Barnes’ claim of emotional distance, she went further. She accused him of being willing to show “vulnerability” for strangers on Instagram, implying that his confession might be partly performative and motivated by personal gain. Now, it is true that public figures often control their story by revealing selective truths. Anansa’s call for transparency reminds us that messy breakups rarely have a single “victim” or “villain.” What’s your take on it? Because we surely aren’t the judge.