“She likes basketball a lot… That was her first love, and I feel like she’s living her dream through me,” said Bobby Portis Jr., describing his mother, Tina Edwards. There are a lot of stories behind the Milwaukee Bucks star’s journey from picking up the ball for the first time to winning the championship in 2021. And his mother played a huge role in shaping his career in the way it is today. In this article, let’s brush up briefly on the 6 ’10 tall baller’s background.
Before that, it’s also important to address that Portis has found himself in the trade block amid his hot and cool run for the Bucks. Playing in his 5th year for the Wisconsin team, the big man faced a minor slump at the start of the 2024-25 season, struggling to generate buckets off the bench. And it ultimately brought him to the trade city ahead of the deadline. So, Portis could be playing in a different franchise in a few weeks. Or will the Bucks continue to trust him? Only time will tell.
Where is Bobby Portis from? What is the Milwaukee Bucks star’s ethnicity?
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Bobby Portis Jr. was born to Bobby Portis Sr. and Tina Edwards on February 10, 1995, in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. So, this makes it clear that the Bucks star is an American national with an African-American ethnicity. There is very little information available about his father, as he left him at a very young age.
Speaking of it, Tina Edwards said, “It was just him and I from right at a year of his life, because his dad left us when he was 10 months.” More importantly, she was influential in bringing basketball into Portis Jr.’s life. She was a basketball player herself during her youth.
She added, “I showed him some newspaper clippings of myself and what I did in junior college… I think he pushed himself — ‘Hey, I can do the same stuff my mom did.”
Guess what? She wasn’t wrong
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 13, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) reacts with forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) after scoring a basket in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Bobby Portis went on to become one of the valuable assets in the Bucks family. Well, it certainly wasn’t an easy journey. At the age of 20, the young baller had pretty much faced all sorts of adversities to prepare him mentally strong. With the help of his mother and supportive coaches, Portis survived multiple evictions, moves, domestic issues with father figures, and many more. At the end of the day, it brought out a mature and tough basketball player.
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Bobby Portis Jr. and bumpy ride with the Bucks
Before cementing his place in the Bucks, Portis played for the Bulls, Wizards, and Knicks in small stints. He entered the Bucks fold in the 2020-21 season and the team won the championship in the very same season. The big man cemented his spot as a second unit leader. Portis comes off the bench and keeps the buckets ticking and defense intact whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, this season, fifth season with the Bucks, Portis seemed to have found himself in a slump. The star even indirectly took a jab from coach Doc Rivers, as he ran down on the bench units after a loss. Portis, being the leader of the bench, took the most of it. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of days when the star won the coach’s trust back after he helped the team qualify for the NBA Cup semi-finals.
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Rivers said, “He’s just playing great. His emotions are in the right place. His focus is right. You can see his energy the last two games he’s been fantastic without Bobby we’d be in trouble.”
Now that they have reached the NBA Cup Finals, will the team decide to take him off the trade block? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
