"This is real hoop life": Gilbert Arenas' ex Laura Govan shares her take on Kobe Bryant's majestic moment with Team USA

TV personality and Gilbert Arenas' ex-partner, Laura Govan, was a standout basketball player in high school. She also played two seasons at New Mexico State before taking up coaching, and her love for the sport has not diminished.

On Monday, Govan shared a majestic moment from the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship game between Team USA and Venezuela. In the clip on her Instagram story, Team USA broke Venezuela's defense with fluid passing before Kobe Bryant's powerful dunk.

"If you're smiling then you understand ... This is Real Hoop Life ❤️," Govan wrote.

Team USA beat Venezuela 112-69. The starters, which included Bryant, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, set the pace early. Bryant played tough defense, holding Greivis Vásquez to just 12 points on poor shooting and forced four turnovers.

When Bryant was on the court in the first half, Team USA outscored Venezuela 32-11. In 16 minutes, Bryant recorded 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. He helped start fastbreaks and made exciting plays like a reverse layup, a lob to Howard and a dunk from a behind-the-back pass by James.

Laura Govan gets emotional as son Alijah Arenas graduates

Laura Govan, the mother of Alijah Arenas, recently shared heartfelt photos celebrating her son’s high school graduation.

Arenas, who graduated from Chatsworth High School in California, had a difficult start to 2025. He led his team to two championship finals but lost both. However, he still earned McDonald’s All-American honors.

In April, Arenas' Tesla Cybertruck crashed into a tree. He was trapped inside for about 10 minutes before he was rescued and placed in a medically induced coma. Arenas has since made significant progress in his recovery.

On June 6, Govan shared a picture with Alijah and her family.

“YOU ALREADY KNOW … 🖤 @alijah0arenas Nothing Like A Mothers LoVe … MySun My LoVe …. 🖤 & My Other Baby @jaydennnn,” Govan wrote on Instagram.

Alijah’s father, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, talked about the accident on the "All the Smoke" podcast in May. He said Alijah was released from the hospital on April 30 and is expected to join the USC Trojans next season.

About the author

Nishant is a Delhi-based journalist at Sportskeeda specializing in High School Sports. He graduated in Mathematical Sciences and is pursuing a Masters in Operational Research at Delhi University.

With his educational background and over four years of experience, Nishant likes to be precise with information. He is passionate about cricket, football, basketball, and chess, often writing about events and game analysis.

His favorite team is the Michigan Wolverines, and he thoroughly enjoyed their unbeaten season and championship win, especially when it culminated in Jim Harbaugh fulfilling his promise of getting a tattoo.

When he is not working or watching sports, Nishant likes to play football and write poetry. Wrapping everything in humor with relatable memes and defending his heart out on the football field is why he gets up every day.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez