Basketball Wives Star Tami Roman Covers Rolling Out Magazine

Aaaw! Look at Tami getting all soft and introspective for her Rolling Out feature.

In addition to getting all dolled up, Tami also opened up about her reasons for doing Basketball Wives, how she was misrepresented and how she hopes to inspire the young minority women of America. No, really.

Flip through and check her out.

We have to get this question out of the way. Why did you join “Basketball Wives?”

Well, I watched the first season of “Basketball Wives” and just felt like the things that I was going through weren’t really represented on the show. I had been a basketball wife, and now that I was divorced, things weren’t as golden as they portrayed on the show. I wasn’t eating out and getting manicures every day … and I wasn’t drinking all night, every night. That wasn’t my world, so for me, I felt like my individual story would be valuable.

You’re a television veteran, but were you prepared for the real-time responses and criticisms that celebrities now experience with social media?

When I did the “Real World,” we didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, or blogs, so I didn’t really know how people felt about the things that I did, [unless] they took the time to write a fan letter. So social media is very new to me, and it’s something I had to get used to because people will criticize you, judge you and lash out at you. People will feel like that can say anything to you and you’re just supposed to take it. I haven’t always done that because I’m a human being with feelings. So if you hurt me or my loved ones, I’m going to address it accordingly. I realize now that I can’t do that though, I can’t curse out every person who doesn’t like me on Twitter.

So how would you use your rediscovered platform to reach, influence and positively impact the world?

Well honestly, I’d love to be doing panels, expos, and things of that nature so I can speak directly to younger girls. I feel like wisdom is the best teacher, and I have been through a lot. That’s why I’m so hopeful that my book will actually come out, because I think people will be like “well damn, you’re still here, and you’re still standing and still fighting.” So I want to be able to use “Basketball Wives” and dilute the imagery that is seen on that show by doing panels, and doing expos so people can see the other side of me. Because I’m not always yelling, and I’m not always fighting … I’m just not always that person, so I would love to be able to mentor youth and give back. That’s the impact that I want to make on society.