‘Special Forces’: All About Matt Barnes Wife & His Complicated Relationship History
Matt Barnes is one of the recruits on Season 5 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. On the October 22 episode, he and David Charvet found themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle with night falling and a storm rolling in. Viewers will find out what happens to them on October 29.
Over the years, the former professional basketball player has made headlines for his love life, including a complicated split and messy divorce from Gloria Govan. Today, he is married to Anansa Sims, although they’ve had their own complications. Scroll down to learn more.
Who is Matt Barnes’ wife?
Sims is a model. Her mother is model Beverly Johnson, the first Black woman to appear on the American edition of Vogue in 1974.
She and Barnes met while attending UCLA, although they did not date at the time and were both in other relationships. In 2018, they reconnected through a mutual friend at NBA All-Star weekend. Their relationship has been off-and-on since then.
In 2020, while they were broken up, Sims reportedly filed a restraining order against Barnes, accusing him of allegedly harassing and stalking her. They got back together the following year and engaged in 2022, but split again in 2025 before eventually tying the knot (more on that below).
Sims was previously married to David Patterson Jr., a former pro football player, from 2010 to 2017. They met at a Memorial Day party and tied the knot two years later. In 2023, a video surfaced of Barnes appearing to spit on Patterson at an NFL game. He filed a temporary restraining order (approved by a judge) against Sims’ ex after the incident, claiming Patterson, “hunted me down and aggressively confronted me” at the game.
Did Matt Barnes cheat on his wife?
Yes, Barnes has admitted to cheating on Sims multiple times throughout their relationship. He appeared on Candace Cameron Bure‘s podcast in October 2026 and revealed he and his now-wife separated in January 2025 because of his infidelity.
“We were together for maybe six years, and my cheating caught up with me,” Barnes shared. “And she found out about it. And it wasn’t the first time she found out about it, but it was kind of a lot on her, and she just couldn’t do it no more. And as hard as it was to lose her I understood why, and I understood if the shoes were on the other foot, I would have done the same thing.”
Sims moved out of the home she and Barnes shared, but the two eventually reconciled. In March 2025, Barnes accepted an invitation to attend church, and after he started to attend regularly, he invited Sims to join him. She surprisingly agreed.’
“One time I saw her get watery eyed, and I just knew she was proud of me,” he shared. “I just kind of knew I was on the right path.”
They didn’t officially reconcile until the end of that year, and threw together a quick wedding, tying the knot on New Year’s Eve 2025.
What happened between Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan?
Barnes was previously married to Basketball Wives star Gloria Govan. They met as pre-teens, reconnected a few years later, and started dating in 2006. In 2010, while the two were engaged, Barnes was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, but Govan insisted, “Any accusations of domestic violence are false. My fiancé, Matt Barnes, has never physically abused me or my family,” and the charges were dropped.
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Barnes and Govan tied the knot in 2013, but split just two years later. In 2015, Govan started dating Derek Fisher, who had a “close” relationship with Barnes after they played on the Los Angeles Lakers together from 2010 to 2012.
When Govan and Fisher started dating, she and Barnes were still legally married. When Barnes found out about the romance, it was reported that he drove nearly 100 miles to Govan’s home to confront his former teammate. “Barnes went crazy. He got in his car and went to the house and went after Fisher,” a source told the New York Post, with ESPN confirming a physical altercation took place.
Barnes later insisted that he paid Govan and Fisher a visit after allegedly getting a phone call from his son about Fisher being at the house that concerned him. He also clarified that the drive to get there was only 15 minutes.
“I can’t believe people think I was some maniac driving 95 miles and listening to Tupac to go beat somebody up,” he told ESPN. “No. I live 15 minutes away, and I was going over to check on my kids because they seemed uncomfortable. That was my main reason for going over there.” Police confirmed to the outlet that they responded to an incident at Govan’s home, but no charges were filed.
Fisher and Govan got engaged in 2018 and tied the knot in 2021.
How many kids does Matt Barnes have?
Barnes has four children: his twin sons with Govan, Carter and Isaiah, born in 2008, and sons Ashton and Austin with Sims, born in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
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Carter and Isaiah both play high school basketball and will graduate in 2027. Ashton, meanwhile, recently went viral after Barnes revealed that at just seven years old, the child “is 5’2″, 125 pounds, and wears a size 10 in men’s shoes.”
Sims, meanwhile, shares three children with Patterson.
In 2018, Barnes filed for full custody of Carter and Isaiah after Govan was arrested on a charge of felony child endangerment. The arrest came after an incident at the boys’ school when Govan arrived to pick the kids up on Barnes’ scheduled weekend, per TMZ. Two months later, the outlet confirmed that Barnes had been granted sole legal and physical custody.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Season 5, Thursdays, 9/8c, Fox
