Anfernee Simons on Aaleeyah Petty: “She Walked Into My Life Like a Different Kind of Melody”**
“When I first met Aaleeyah Petty, I’ll be honest—I didn’t think too much of it.”
That’s how **Anfernee Simons**, Portland Trail Blazers star guard, begins when asked about the woman who quietly reshaped his world. There’s no grandiosity in his voice. No rehearsed lines. No celebrity gloss. Just a man, sitting in the quiet aftermath of practice, talking about a moment that changed everything.
“She wasn’t what I expected,” he continues, brushing sweat from his brow. “Not at all. At that time in my life, everything revolved around NBA—NBA was taking shape, and I was consumed by the Game, the Sports, the road ahead. Romance? It wasn’t on my radar. But—**Aaleeyah Petty**—she walked into my life like a different kind of melody.”
And for the next two hours, he lets that melody play.
—
### **CHAPTER ONE: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER**
They met at an event neither was supposed to attend.
“It was a charity gala in LA. I was filling in for a teammate last minute. She came with a friend. I almost didn’t go. But I did. And there she was,” Anfernee recalls.
Aaleeyah wasn’t decked out in designer flash. No entourage. No spotlight. Just grace. Effortless, understated confidence. She wasn’t trying to be seen. She simply *was*, and that made her magnetic.
“I remember thinking, ‘Man, she’s got presence.’ But I didn’t say anything at first. I just observed.”
He laughs. “I was low-key nervous. I’m used to the court. You give me the ball, I know what to do. But this? This was different.”
Eventually, their paths crossed near the silent auction table. She made a joke about the overpriced wine basket. He laughed harder than he should have. The ice was broken.
“I knew then—she was funny, sharp. And the way she looked at me when I talked, like she actually heard me? That shook me. In my world, people listen with agendas. She didn’t. She just *listened*.”
—
### **CHAPTER TWO: THE PACE OF TWO WORLDS**
In the months that followed, they began to see each other, cautiously at first.
“She wasn’t immediately impressed by the NBA thing,” Anfernee says. “That was new to me. Most people want to talk about stats, sneakers, lifestyle. She wanted to know about my family. My fears. My routines. My dreams that had nothing to do with basketball.”
Their lives moved in opposite speeds—his, rapid and demanding, filled with flights, back-to-backs, and constant noise. Hers, while also public-facing, was steadier, focused on wellness, branding, and inner balance.
“Being around her was like being benched, in the best way,” he says with a smirk. “She slowed me down, reminded me to breathe.”
There were tough moments too. Misunderstandings. Schedules that clashed. Doubts.
“I’d leave for a six-game road trip and come back drained. She’d be in her own world, building, working. We had to learn how to exist together in spaces that were never built for calm. That was the challenge—and the beauty.”
—
### **CHAPTER THREE: LOVE OFF THE COURT**
The turning point came during an offseason trip to Jamaica.
“No PR. No cameras. Just us, a little Airbnb on the coast, and time. That’s when I realized I wasn’t just *with* her—I was building a life *because* of her.”
They read books. Swam at sunrise. Ate street food barefoot. One night, during a long walk along the beach, they talked about childhood dreams.
“She told me she always wanted to open a healing space for women. A wellness sanctuary with no judgment. No social media pressure. Just real healing.”
That hit him hard. Not because of the ambition—but the *intention*. She wasn’t chasing fame. She was chasing meaning.
“That was the night I told her I loved her,” he says. “No distractions. Just truth.”
—
### **CHAPTER FOUR: CHOOSING EACH OTHER, EVERY DAY**
Anfernee admits love isn’t something he grew up seeing modeled clearly. His parents loved him deeply, but life was hard. Basketball became his first love and his first escape.
“It’s easy to give your heart to the game. It’s consistent. Structured. It rewards repetition. But real love? It’s messy. Vulnerable. Scary.”
He and Aaleeyah had to learn how to fight fairly, how to listen instead of win, how to sit in silence without needing to fill it.
“There were times we almost let go,” he confesses. “Not because we didn’t care—but because we didn’t know how to stay when it got hard.”
Therapy helped. So did prayer. So did patience.
“She taught me that choosing someone is a daily decision. Not just when it’s easy. Especially when it’s not.”
—
### **CHAPTER FIVE: THE MELANCHOLY OF FAME**
As their relationship grew, so did the spotlight. Rumors. Blogs. Think pieces.
“People always want to define you—especially when you’re Black and successful. They want to narrate your story before you get a chance to tell it.”
There were whispers that Aaleeyah was only with him for the lifestyle. That she was chasing clout. That she wasn’t the “right” fit for an NBA player.
“She heard it all,” Anfernee says quietly. “And still stayed poised. That’s strength.”
Instead of reacting publicly, they built boundaries privately. Cut out noise. Kept their space sacred.
“We started treating our love like a garden. Protected it. Watered it. Kept out the pests.”
—
### **CHAPTER SIX: BUILDING TOGETHER**
In 2024, Aaleeyah opened her **Sanctuary & Co. Wellness Lounge** in Los Angeles — a place for women of color to reconnect, reflect, and restore.
Anfernee helped fund it—but stayed behind the scenes.
“I didn’t want it to be ‘Anfernee’s gift to Aaleeyah.’ This was her vision. I just believed in it.”
In Portland, she helped design his in-home meditation room. He started journaling. Meditating before games. Calling his mom more often. The shift was subtle, but profound.
“She didn’t ask me to change. She gave me space to become more of who I already was.”
—
### **CHAPTER SEVEN: THE VULNERABLE MOMENTS**
Every love story has shadows.
When Anfernee suffered a late-season injury in 2025, doubt crept in. He feared becoming irrelevant. Disposable. Forgotten.
“I was in a dark place. My mind went to places I’m not proud of.”
Aaleeyah didn’t try to fix it. She sat with him. Held him. Listened.
“One night I said, ‘I don’t know who I am if I’m not playing.’ She looked at me and said, ‘You’re still mine.’”
He breaks for a second, eyes glassy. “That line… that’s when I knew. She saw *me*, not the game, not the press. Just me.”
—
### **CHAPTER EIGHT: FUTURE FORWARD**
Now, in mid-2025, with the trade winds swirling and speculation about his next move on the rise, Anfernee says he’s grounded.
“I don’t know what jersey I’ll wear next year. But I know who’s riding with me.”
They’ve talked about marriage. Kids. Legacy.
“She wants a little girl with wild curls. I want a boy with her eyes.”
They’re not rushing. They’re learning that love isn’t a race—it’s a rhythm.
“Aaleeyah taught me that. And I’ll be grateful forever.”
—
### **EPILOGUE: THE DIFFERENT KIND OF MELODY**
As our time wraps up, I ask Anfernee what makes this love feel different.
He smiles, long and slow.
“I’m used to noise—the roar of the crowd, the chaos of the game. But she’s silence. The kind that calms you. The kind you lean into.”
Then, he repeats the line that began it all:
“She walked into my life like a different kind of melody. Not loud, not flamboyant. Just real.”
He pauses.
“And the more I listen, the more I realize—it’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.”
Leave a Reply