NBA star Stephen Jackson is known for having abruptly ended his engagement at the altar when his fiancée refused to sign a prenuptial agreement, after which he went to a party.
Retired NBA star Stephen Jackson didn’t go ahead with his marriage to his fiancée, Imani Showalter, after she refused to sign a pre-nuptial agreement.
Prior to a marriage, a prenuptial agreement (commonly referred to as a “prenup”) is a legally-binding document that two individuals sign in order to define the division of assets and debts in the aftermath of a divorce or separation. This agreement may additionally include provisions related to spousal support, as well as the rights of each partner during the duration of the marriage, and is subject to the mutual consent of both parties. A prenuptial agreement can be viewed as providing clarity and security for both individuals in the event of an eventual divorce.
Jackson previously recounted that, although he was in a love with Showaltera and eagerly anticipated their marriage, he would not have proceeded with the wedding without a signed contract.
The basketball player divulged that they had come to a prior agreement to have a prenuptial contract, and were aware of the conditions therein. Nevertheless, the woman deliberately delayed signing the document when it was presented.
“We get the prenup back at least 3-4 months before the wedding. This is all true y’all. I give it to her. When I give it to her, she shouldn’t be surprised by it because me and her sat down and agreed upon the prenup,” Jackson says.
“A month passed, two months before the wedding, I’m like we need to get that prenup signed, so when we get down there to Houston, we ain’t gotta worry about it. I tell her that like two or three times.”
Jackson revealed afterwards that Showalter was insistent on having a particular pastor officiate the ceremony. He said that when he informed the clergyman that he would not marry her if she did not sign the agreement, the pastor attempted to manipulate him by saying “let God handle it”.
Jackson said that the pastor made it clear that he didn’t believe in prenuptial agreements.
“God is telling me to put the pen in her hand and make her sign this godd*mn prenup,” Jackson said,” That’s what God tellin’ me. So God tellin’ you and me two different things.”
Jackson and Showalter eventually never married. Instead, Jackson who dumped her at the altar says his friend, Stephon Marbury, DJ’ed an impromptu party where the first song he played was Kanye West’s “Gold Digger.”
