Draya, a popular designer, actress, and model owes her popularity to her TV appearances on Basketball Wives: LA, a popular reality TV show.
Even though most TV stars lose their popularity after their 5 minutes of fame, Draya was able to elevate her career further and start three clothing lines, act in several movies, and take over several modeling stages.
Early Life
Born Andraya Michelle Howard in 1985 and coming from mixed African American/Italian parents, she gained interest in beauty at an early age. When she started school, her parents got her enrolled in beautification courses. At the same time, she wanted to be a singer and became interested in music.
However, her voice wasn’t good enough to make it as a star. To pursue her career as a model and TV personality, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she currently lives with her two sons.
Career
Draya’s dream was to be a famous fashion designer and model. But she had a lot of issues at the start of her modeling career due to her figure. She made a list of her favorite men’s magazines and sent them all her photos, but they refused her because of her figure and long neck.
However, she was persistent and got herself some gigs with photographers, several editors, and video directors who got her roles in videos of some of the most popular music artists like Jay-Z, The Game, Nicki Minaj, and Kanye West. After that, she appeared in several men’s magazines and joined the popular reality show, Basketball Wives: LA.
She started her swimsuit and clothing lines and became a successful entrepreneur in 2015 after leaving the show.
Filmography
Draya has acted in movies and has appeared in many films and reality television shows, including:
- Basketball Wives LA as Herself (2011) Basketball Wives LA
- Real Husbands of Hollywood
- Will to Love
- The Perfect Match
- Bring Out the Lady
- True to the Game
- ‘Til Death Do Us Part
- We Belong Together
- All In
Personal Life
Relationships
Like any gorgeous model, Draya was in numerous relationships with many famous people. She was associated with Gilbert Arenas, Kenyon Martin, DeShawn Stevenson, French Montana, Wiz Khalifa, and many others. Her most recent partner was football cornerback Orlando Scandrick. The two were engaged but split in 2016.
Children
Draya has two sons, Kniko Howard and Jru Scandrick. She had Kniko in 2002 when she was only 17 and Kniko’s father is unknown. She had Jru with her former-fiance Orlando Scandrick in 2016.
In the News
Draya Michele is famously known for her role as one of the main cast members on the hit reality TV show Basketball Wives LA. When she joined Basketball Wives, she lost custody of her older son and was shamed as a bad mom on social media.
Looking for more updates on Draya? Stay tuned with The Shade Room!
