Jackie Christie Dishes Advice to 'Basketball Wives' Miami Cast

Being on the L.A. cast, what would you like to see from the Miami cast in season 4?

Jackie Christie: I would love to see more about their families. I’ve gotten to know the girls now watching the prior seasons, and I like what I see. I got to see Evelyn’s daughter. I’d like to see Shaunie’s kids and their interactions. I would also love to see more of their businesses.

You bring a lot of flavor to your cast. Do you feel there should be more of that with the Miami cast?

[Laughs] I think we get that a lot with some of the girls: Tami Roman and Evelyn. Even Jennifer is starting to show it a little more. Shaunie just by nature—and I know her personally—she just seems to be a lot calmer of a person anyway. But Shaunie has fire to her as well and that is yet to be seen. I think it’s really a great cast. Suzie has her own personality. The way they’re doing it is awesome, but I also feel like the more we see more of the girls and the different situations in their work environments, we’ll see more spirited interactions with them.

How would you advise Shaunie to be more spirited in front of the camera?

I would just advise her to show all of her emotions. A lot of people look up to Shaunie and she’s starting this great empire around her. She’s got the shows and sometimes people really want to see emotions from her. I think she’s great; she’s gonna be a voice in a lot of different ways for a lot of women. She was in a long-term marriage with Shaquille, and now she’s doing it on her own. She’s powerful. If she would allow her emotions to show more, that would be great. I would tell her to let her guard down sometimes and just be Shaunie.

Do you have a favorite cast member of Miami?

If I had to pick one, it would be Shaunie.

If there was a fist fight in the Miami cast, who would win?

I would definitely have to say Tami or Evelyn. One of the two

Tami had some swings in her on The Real World.

Oh my God, I didn’t know that. I have to see that!

If you could offer one piece of advice to the girls in Miami, what would it be?

Be as real as you possibly can, which they all seem to be, and just let the world into your life fully because the fans would love that. In L.A., you get to see the whole story.

What kind of advice would you give to Jennifer as she tries to find a new man?

I think she’s a sweet girl. She comes off as very loyal. I would say just take her time, don’t rush anything. I’m not sure if she’s completed the divorce or if she’s fresh out of that, but just take time for herself. She’s got some great businesses going on; I would focus on those. Let the man find her; don’t necessarily look for a guy. Not to say that she is, but I think Jennifer is one of the types guys would find attractive because she seems down to earth, calm, cool and collected and has a focus.

How do you think she can block guys who want to capitalize off her fame?

I would definitely say get to know who her potential mate is going to be. Be friends first. Find out some of his goals. Sometimes people may not be at your same level economically and financially, but at the same time they have other things in common. Maybe they’re still in school or getting their education in some way and can one day match what you make. But I believe in 50/50, so I wouldn’t necessarily base it on whether he’s successful or not, but do you get along with him. What are his aspirations, what are his values, do they match yours? Really get to know who the person is that she’s going to be with. 

What do you think are some red flags Jennifer should look for?

A couple of alarms are 1) He isn’t patient and doesn’t want to talk about simple things about his life and things that he’s doing. That’s definitely a warning sign. If it’s at the beginning when it’s simple things, what’s gonna happen when it’s time to really talk about something life altering or relationship altering? The second is, is there another relationship going on? Are there rumors or media things going around? Does he have a lot of friends who are females? Have these conversations early on.

Evelyn and Chad’s relationship, how would you advise them to operate on a more open level?

I really admire their relationship. I think they’re best friends and can act silly and have fun. At the same time, they have that commitment level that you need in a long-lasting relationship. I know they’re planning their wedding and getting married soon. I wish them many years of married bliss. Evelyn, I would tell her to ignore the naysayers. There’s gonna be a lot of them. [Chad] is an athlete; [Evelyn] is a celebrity in her own right, and there’s gonna be a lot of people saying things about their relationship. I’m sure there’s already been. She seems to really take it personal; I would just advise her to ignore it. Turn the other cheek, because I took it for 15 years. I was hearing all kinds of different things, but put him first and have him put her first, which I’m sure they do. And I’m sure they’ll be just fine. I would definitely advise them to keep the world out of their relationship, though. Do the shows, share, but make sure when it comes time for any of that hearsay or people butting in, ask them to kindly stay out.
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