Who's Your Daddy? Likely, He's Travis Henry! NBA Player Fathers Nine Illegitimate Children by Nine Different Women

Some pundits would have us believe that certain female celebrities - Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, to name a few - adopt foreign-born children as if they were an accessory, like a handbag or a new pair of shoes. Some have made much of the rumor - true or not - that these women have chosen to adopt not because of a sense of altruism, but more from a sense of maintaining one's body as long as possible before Mother Nature and Father Time do their inevitable damage.

Hey, stretch marks, sagging bosoms and widened hips cost a LOT of money to repair and maintain, folks. As of early September '07, both Jolie and Madge have hinted broadly (no pun intended, really) of their intentions of expanding their current families. Both are expected to adopt children born outside of the United States.

Let's be real here, people. These women are doing what certainly looks to be a very, very good thing, opening up their hearts and their wallets to adopt kids who otherwise would face a pretty bleak future, if any future at all. The only point that I'd like to make here is this: There are plenty, God knows more than plenty, of illegitimate, orphaned, disabled, and abandoned kids of all colors and ages right here in the United States who desperately need families and homes.

NBA player Travis Henry is the kind of man, and I use that term loosely in his case, who's part of the problem, and part of what seems to be a growing trend among professional athletes to sire children born out of wedlock. By the ripe old age of 28, Henry is the biological father of nine kids by nine different women - and he's only 28! He's been in the news lately complaining that paying support for these nine children is making him broke.

Brilliant, Travis. But he's not the only guy to go 'pro' in the arena of sexual misconduct; Calvin Murphy is the reigning king of athletes with illegitimate children: nine separate women have given birth to Murphy's fourteen (14) children. You're the man, Calvin, until we can catch you long enough to slice off your boys with a Cutco knife, preferably the serrated one.

Two of the most recent daddies are NFL quarterbacks Matt Leinart, whose USC basketball player girlfriend gave birth to his son last year, and more recently, Tom Brady. Longtime love Bridget Moynahan gave birth last month to John Edward Thomas Brady (JET) Moynahan. After three years together, Brady has apparently moved on to (suspected homewrecker and jealous Brazilian) supermodel Gisele Bundchen, while Leinart's son's mother finishes off her degree in southern California.

At least NBA superstar LaBron James, who has two sons born without benefit of marriage, is with his childrens' mother, his high school sweetheart, Savannah. Give the man props for being with the mother of his kids and being involved in their lives. Wish we could say the same about NBA great Tracy McGrady, whose involvement in a rather ugly paternity suit was recently revealed.

Boxer Evander Holyfield, proving that spreading one's seed is not limited to prowess on the football field or basketball court, is also the father of nine illegitimate children; Shawn Kemp of NBA fame is the father of seven children born out of wedlock to six different women. Derrick Thomas died at the age of 33; Thomas fathered seven kids born to six women, none of whom he married. Back in the NFL, Priest Holmes is called Dad by three illegitimate kids, as is Ricky Williams. (Not much learned during that magical year of 'finding yourself', Ricky, except maybe for new and different bongs.

Your best bet would be to get back on the field asap to keep those child support checks rolling.) Recently cut by the Buffalo Bills, Willis McGahee spent two years in the city by the lake, fathering three kids out of wedlock during that time.

These athletes are guys that sports fans usually look up to; who knew that they had at least one illegitimate child each? Include Pete Rose, Darryl Strawberry, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Steve Garvey (yes, Steve Garvey!), Dr. J., Tug McGraw, and Jim Palmer in that group. (By the ripe ol' age of seventeen, the 'original' Gary Sheffield was the father of two illegitimate kids. Seventeen!) Other guys on this list are Oscar De La Hoya, Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Scottie Pippen, Brian Urlacher, Mark Messier, David Justice, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Randy Johnson, Juwan Howard, Latrell Sprewell, Kenny Anderson, and Patrick Ewing.

What is it with these guys who think that their physical prowess, the kind that makes them rich and makes them famous, also gives them the right to treat women and children like this? Maybe it's a "God" syndrome, maybe it's because some of these guys weren't raised by fathers themselves. I'd like to think that they didn't know any better, but they did and they do.

As for myself, I'm not going to refer to these children born out of wedlock as "illegitimate" anymore. That label isn't fair to them; they did nothing to deserve it. The only ones who are really "illegitimate" are those men, those athletes, who are stupid enough to think that fathering a child - with any woman, at any time - makes them a man. Really, in the end, all they are are illegitimate fakes anyway...it's the real man who steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for his actions. Yes, you heard me, Travis, and Tracy, and even Tom and Matt. Fans will only forgive and forget so much in your personal lives. Does the word "despicable" ring a bell?...