Jamal Hairston is an American private figure aged 52, best known as the first love of Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada and the biological father of Shaniece Hairston, the Bronx-born model, wellness entrepreneur, and reality TV personality. Jamal has spent more than three decades away from the spotlight, building a quiet life while his daughter carved out a public career of her own. His net worth is not publicly documented, though multiple sources confirm he has never sought fame or media attention.
TL;DR
- Jamal Michael Hairston, American private individual known for his teenage relationship with Evelyn Lozada.
- Biological father of Shaniece Hairston, born June 1993 in the Bronx, New York.
- Dated Evelyn Lozada from the late 1980s until approximately 1995; became a father at age 20.
- Net worth: not publicly disclosed as of 2026.
- Became a grandfather in October 2024 when Shaniece gave birth to son Blaze Taylor.
Quick Bio
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jamal Michael Hairston |
| Known As | Jamal Hairston |
| Date of Birth | April 25, 1973 |
| Age | 52 years old (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | United States (East Coast, exact city not publicly disclosed) |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Religion | Not publicly disclosed |
| Education | Not publicly disclosed |
| Profession | Private individual (career details not publicly documented) |
| Active Since | Not applicable |
| Platforms / Outlets | None (no public social media presence) |
| Total Following | Not applicable |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Relationship Status | Not publicly disclosed |
| Net Worth | Not publicly disclosed (estimated) |
Who is Jamal Hairston?
Jamal Hairston is an African-American private individual born on April 25, 1973, who became publicly known through his teenage relationship with Evelyn Lozada and his role as the father of Shaniece Hairston.
Jamal Hairston entered the public record not through any personal pursuit of fame, but through his connection to one of VH1’s most recognised reality TV personalities. Evelyn Lozada, a mainstay of Basketball Wives since its launch in 2010, has spoken openly about her early life and the young love that preceded her celebrity years. Jamal was at the centre of that chapter.
He has never appeared on television, given interviews, or maintained any form of public social media presence. His story surfaces in entertainment reporting because of Evelyn and Shaniece, but the man himself remains a private figure with no documented public career. Unlike Dave Bugliari, who built a visible professional identity alongside a famous partner, Jamal has kept every aspect of his life away from cameras and press coverage.
Early Life and Background
Childhood and Family
Jamal Hairston grew up on the East Coast of the United States, likely in or around New York, though the specific city and details of his family background have never been publicly disclosed.
Multiple biographical sources note that Jamal and Evelyn Lozada met as teenagers in the late 1980s, placing both of them in the same New York-area social environment during that period. Evelyn, who was born in the Bronx in 1975, has described their relationship as beginning when she was approximately 14 years old, meaning Jamal would have been around 16 at the time of their first meeting in 1989.
Beyond this, no verified details about Jamal’s parents, siblings, or childhood home have been made public. His family structure and upbringing remain entirely private.
Education
Jamal Hairston’s educational background has never been publicly documented, and no school or university affiliation has been confirmed by him or by credible sources.
Sources referencing his youth note that Jamal had aspirations of becoming an athlete in his younger years. A separate NCAA basketball player named Jamal Hairston appears in ESPN records as a guard for the Immaculata Mighty Macs, logging college games in November 2022. However, a player born in 1973 would have been 49 years old at that time, making it almost certain these are two different individuals sharing the same name. Shaniece Hairston’s father’s educational and athletic history remains unverified.
Career Journey
Before Fame
Jamal Hairston’s professional life before and after his relationship with Evelyn Lozada is entirely undocumented in public records, media, or official sources.
What is established: Jamal had ambitions of becoming an athlete during his teenage years, according to multiple sources citing his background. Whether those ambitions produced any formal playing career at college or amateur level is not confirmed. He never reached professional sports at any tier.
Some Facebook profiles bearing his name describe individuals working in manufacturing or trades in the American Midwest, but none of these have been verified as belonging to Shaniece Hairston’s father. His current occupation, employer, and location remain unknown.
How Jamal Hairston Got Started with Evelyn Lozada
Jamal Hairston and Evelyn Lozada began dating in 1989 when both were teenagers living in New York, forming a relationship that lasted until approximately 1995.
Evelyn, who was 14 at the time and Jamal was 16, began a six-year relationship that would define both their early adult lives. Their connection was built away from any public eye, years before Evelyn became a recognisable television personality. The relationship was described across multiple sources as a genuine teenage romance rooted in shared youth, not celebrity culture.
By June 1993, Evelyn had become pregnant at 17. Jamal was 20 years old when Shaniece Virginia Sabina Hairston was born in the Bronx, New York. Becoming parents at those ages brought significant responsibility, and both took on the role without public support structures or media attention. Similar to figures like Jack Dafoe, who grew up adjacent to a famous parent’s world, Shaniece was raised within a family dynamic shaped by her parents’ early circumstances.
Breakthrough Moment
Jamal Hairston has no public breakthrough moment of his own; interest in him grew indirectly as Evelyn Lozada’s profile rose through Basketball Wives from 2010 onward.
When Evelyn joined the Basketball Wives cast for its debut season on VH1 in 2010, public curiosity about her background grew. Shaniece appeared alongside her mother in the OWN reality series Livin’ Lozada, which ran for two seasons in 2015 and 2016. This brought renewed interest in who Shaniece’s father was, generating recurring search traffic for Jamal Hairston’s name despite him never participating in any form of public life.
Career Today
As of 2026, Jamal Hairston’s professional activities are entirely unknown, with no public record of employment, business ownership, or any career-related statement.
Jamal has given no interviews and issued no public statements across more than three decades of indirect public interest. His absence from social media is total: no verified Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn profile exists under his name. He became a grandfather in October 2024 when Shaniece gave birth to son Blaze Taylor with rapper The Game (Jayceon Terrell Taylor), but Jamal made no public comment about the event. Like Sanne Hamers, who maintained a private identity despite proximity to celebrity, Jamal has remained consistently off-screen throughout his adult life.
Personal Life
Relationships
Jamal Hairston’s only publicly documented romantic relationship is his six-year partnership with Evelyn Lozada, which ended around 1995.
The couple separated quietly, with no public drama or press coverage of the breakup. Evelyn subsequently had a brief marriage to NFL player Chad Johnson in 2012, which ended after less than two months following a domestic incident. She later became engaged to baseball player Carl Crawford, with whom she has a son, Carl Leo Crawford, born March 2014. Jamal’s relationship history after 1995 has never been publicly addressed.
Family
Jamal Hairston has one publicly known child: Shaniece Hairston, born June 16, 1993, in the Bronx, New York.
Shaniece has built a career as a Wilhelmina model, reality TV personality, certified yoga instructor, wellness entrepreneur, and co-host of the Drop The Lo podcast alongside her mother. Her net worth is estimated at around $3 million as of 2026, according to multiple entertainment sources. In October 2024, Shaniece gave birth to Blaze Taylor, making Jamal a first-time grandfather at age 51. Evelyn publicly celebrated the birth on Instagram, describing Blaze as her first grandchild. Jamal made no public statement about the birth.
Physical Appearance
Height and Body Stats
No verified physical measurements for Jamal Hairston have been published in any public source.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Eye Colour | Not publicly disclosed |
| Hair Colour | Not publicly disclosed |
Net Worth and Income Streams
Jamal Hairston’s net worth is not publicly documented; no career details, income sources, or financial figures have been confirmed by him or by credible reporting.
Unlike Evelyn Lozada, whose net worth is estimated at $4 million across multiple aggregator sources, Jamal has never been a public-facing professional in entertainment, business, or sport. No income model exists in the public record for him. Any figure attributed to him by third-party sites represents speculation rather than verified data.
| Income Stream | Estimated Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Not publicly documented | Career and income details have never been disclosed |
Achievements and Milestones
- Became a father at age 20 in June 1993 when Shaniece Hairston was born in the Bronx, New York.
- Co-parented Shaniece with Evelyn Lozada following their separation around 1995, producing a daughter who became a Wilhelmina model and television personality.
- Became a grandfather in October 2024 when Shaniece gave birth to Blaze Taylor.
- Maintained complete privacy for over 30 years despite sustained public interest generated by Evelyn Lozada’s media career and Shaniece’s television appearances.
Interesting Facts About Jamal Hairston
- Jamal is approximately two years older than Evelyn Lozada, born April 25, 1973, compared to Evelyn’s birthdate of December 10, 1975.
- A separate NCAA basketball player named Jamal Hairston appears in ESPN records as a guard for the Immaculata Mighty Macs, but this player logged games in November 2022, which is inconsistent with a birth year of 1973. The two individuals are almost certainly different people.
- Shaniece Hairston was born Shaniece Virginia Sabina Hairston, carrying her father’s surname despite being raised primarily by her mother as a single parent.
- Jamal became a grandfather at 51 years old, one of the younger ages documented for a grandparent connected to a prominent celebrity family.
- Despite Evelyn Lozada spending years on Basketball Wives discussing her personal life, she has never publicly spoken negatively about Jamal, which multiple media sources cite as evidence of a respectful co-parenting dynamic.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jamal Hairston?
Jamal Hairston is an American private individual born on April 25, 1973. He is best known as the first love of reality TV star Evelyn Lozada and the biological father of Shaniece Hairston.
How old is Jamal Hairston?
Jamal Hairston was born on April 25, 1973, making him 52 years old as of 2026.
Who is Jamal Hairston’s daughter?
Jamal Hairston’s daughter is Shaniece Hairston, born June 16, 1993, in the Bronx, New York. She is a Wilhelmina model, certified yoga instructor, and reality TV personality known from Livin’ Lozada.
Is Jamal Hairston still in contact with Evelyn Lozada?
No confirmed details exist about their current contact. Multiple sources describe their co-parenting relationship as respectful and stable, and Evelyn has never spoken negatively about Jamal in public.
Does Jamal Hairston have grandchildren?
Yes. Shaniece Hairston gave birth to a son, Blaze Taylor, in October 2024, making Jamal Hairston a grandfather at age 51. Blaze’s father is rapper The Game.
