{"id":44842,"date":"2026-08-14T17:55:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44842"},"modified":"2026-08-14T17:55:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:55:46","slug":"keri-hilson-reveals-what-she-learned-dating-pro-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44842","title":{"rendered":"Keri Hilson Reveals What She Learned Dating Pro Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"440\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Keri Hilson, The Shade Room, Serge Ibaka \" class=\"wp-image-1438240\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 4843w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=153%2C102&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=378%2C252&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=660%2C440&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1536w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 2048w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=180%2C120&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 150w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 300w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=75%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 75w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=720%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=900%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 1200w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=250%2C167&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=221%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 221w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=245%2C163&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=129%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 129w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=144%2C96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?resize=50%2C33&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: TV One \/ TV One<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Keri Hilson could offer one piece of advice to celebrity women dating professional athletes, it would be simple: <strong>\u201cnever abandon yourself.\u201d <\/strong>The \u201cKnock You Down\u201d singer sat down with <em>The Shade Room\u2019s<\/em> Thembi Mawema on Aug. 11 for an honest conversation about her life and career, and during the interview, she reflected on her past relationship with former NBA star Serge Ibaka, whom she dated from 2012 to 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Naturally, the conversation turned to the growing number of R&amp;B stars and professional basketball players currently making headlines as couples, including Coco Jones and Donovan Mitchell, as well as GloRilla and NBA star Brandon Ingram. Asked what advice she would give women navigating that particular relationship dynamic, Hilson chose her words carefully. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1438168\/keri-hilson-breaks-her-silence-on-beyonce-feud-they-twisted-my-arm\/\"><strong>Keri Hilson Breaks Her Silence On Beyonc\u00e9 Feud: They \u2018Twisted My Arm\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"1\">\n<h3 id=\"h-here-s-why-keri-hilson-says-celebrity-women-should-never-abandon-themselves-when-dating-athletes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Here\u2019s why Keri Hilson says celebrity women should \u2018never abandon\u2019 themselves when dating athletes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She wished the women well but also offered a candid warning about one of the unique challenges that can come with dating professional athletes: the constant access to sexual temptation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFirst of all, I wish them all the best\u2026The only advice I would give is\u2026what some of these athletes live is what I coined \u2018the underworld.\u2019 Which is a lot of access to random, meaningless sex,\u201d the 43-year-old singer told <em>The Shade Room\u2019s<\/em> Thembi Mawema. \u201cAnd a lot of advances by some of the world\u2019s most beautiful women. And they get that treatment everywhere they go. Every hotel they check in, they get numbers from flight attendants and waitresses\u2014everywhere they go, it\u2019s being literally thrown at them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"2\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilson encouraged women to remain \u201cstrong\u201d and protect their \u201cpeace\u201d if their relationships become difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut also, never negotiate\u2014never abandon yourself. I don\u2019t care how much you love them. If they are partaking in those activities, and it rubs your spirit wrong, know that you can leave. Know that it\u2019s not the best that you can do\u2026Never believe that. If someone is crossing your boundaries, crossing lines that you have clearly stated, you don\u2019t have to put up with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Hilson stressed that she hopes the women currently dating athletes won\u2019t have to experience the same challenges she faced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really hope that\u2019s not what\u2019s going on. I really do. But I understand that these certain people have a lot of access, and it\u2019s really difficult for them sometimes to not partake, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilson also acknowledged another layer of the dynamic: women who knowingly pursue athletes who are already in public relationships. In her view, some of those women \u201cdont care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey find their value, in a twisted way, in what that man is willing to risk for them. And it\u2019s sick,\u201d she told Mawema. \u201cIt\u2019s a sickness. But they don\u2019t even really want the man. They just want to know that they can compare to you. So you see that a lot. It\u2019s a game they play, and it\u2019s really about them not knowing their worth and them trying to find that through what that man is willing to risk for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilson added, \u201cYou\u2019re married, you\u2019re wearing your ring. They do not care. These women do exist, and they go after those athletes, especially the popular ones and even the non-popular ones get a lot thrown at them. It\u2019s a tough world to be in, and I did not enjoy it. I\u2019ll just say that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"3\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It remains unclear exactly what led to the couple\u2019s split, but Hilson previously opened up about some of the challenges she experienced during her relationship with Serge Ibaka. During a 2025 appearance on Cam Newton\u2019s <em>Funky Friday<\/em> podcast, she said she noticed warning \u201csigns\u201d about 10 months into dating the Toronto Raptors alum, signs she believes should have prompted her to \u201cleave quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple also had a seven-year age gap, which Hilson said presented its own challenges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back, her message appears to be less about professional athletes specifically and more about maintaining your sense of self inside any relationship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Love can be powerful. Attraction can be powerful. And temptation can be everywhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for Hilson, there is one line that should never be crossed: Never abandon yourself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1447390\/shrekking-dating-trend\/\"><strong>\u2018Shrekking\u2019 Is The Toxic Dating Trend Convincing Women To Date Ugly Men \u2014 And It\u2019s Backfiring<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: TV One \/ TV One If Keri Hilson could offer one piece of advice to celebrity women dating professional athletes, it would be simple: \u201cnever abandon yourself.\u201d The \u201cKnock You Down\u201d singer sat down with The Shade Room\u2019s Thembi Mawema on Aug. 11 for an honest conversation about her life and career, and during&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/16149809267163.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1680&crop=0,0,100,960px","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}