The Real Reason Evelyn Lozada Is Exiting Basketball Wives

There are so many entertaining reality shows on TV nowadays, it's hard to keep up with all of them! But if you're a fan of watching drama-filled get-togethers, outrageous arguments, and hunky husbands, you might want to tune into "Basketball Wives." The longtime series premiered more than a decade ago in April 2010, and since then, viewers have gone inside the lives of the spectacular women.

The cast includes Shaunie O'Neal, Malaysia Pargo, Evelyn Lozada, Jackie Christie, Jennifer Williams, Kristen Scott, and Ogom "OG" Chijindu, according to The Sun. The show — which premiered Season 9 in February 2021 — follows the ladies along as they "juggle the success and stresses of building businesses, battling groupies, and searching for stability in the unstable arena of being the significant other to a basketball superstar," per IMDb. Throughout the seasons, "Basketball Wives" fans have seen many other famous faces in the cast, and some of the stars, such as Evelyn, have taken some time off from filming to focus on their families. After returning to the show in 2017, Lozada chatted to E! News about how thrilled she was to be back, saying she's "emotionally connected" to the series.

"Nobody understands. I do feel a really, really personal connection to the franchise," she shared. But despite that "personal connection," Evelyn announced she was exiting "Basketball Wives" once again in June 2021. Keep scrolling to find out the reason for her departure. 

VH1 has yet to renew "Basketball Wives" for Season 10, but Evelyn Lozada already revealed she won't be returning. The TV personality announced her exit after nine seasons, telling E! News' Daily Pop she is "no longer going to do 'Basketball Wives.'" "I think that it's time for me to open up the universe to other things," Evelyn said on June 2, admitting it was a "hard decision" to walk away. However, the "heavy" toll forced her to rethink her professional career, and after a rough last few seasons, she came to the conclusion to leave. "It's not the most positive energy," she explained.

Prior to joining "Basketball Wives," Evelyn was engaged to NBA player Antoine Walker, but they split in 2009. She was later wed to former New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Johnson for less than a year in 2012, and the brunette beauty was also set to marry ex-fiancé, Carl Crawford, but they ended their engagement in 2017, per Us Weekly.

While speaking on E! News' Daily Pop, Evelyn said she was looking forward to focusing on new projects in the future. The New York native noted her children, daughter Shaniece Hairston and son Carl Leo Crawford, and family are especially filled with "relief" now that she's moving on. "It's time, it's been time," Evelyn shared. "Now I have a conscience about what I say and what I do and what my kids are going to see."