NBA Baller Richard Jefferson Explains Dumping His Bride to Howard Stern

Richard Jefferson and Kesha Nichols

By now, the scandal involving NBA baller Richard Jefferson who dumped his bride Kesha Ni’Cole Nichols (former Nets dancer) at the alter the night before they were due to be married. Jefferson’s reversal was so sudden that friends and family still showed up to the $2 million ceremony that was supposed to take place the next day. To make matters worse, it’s been reported that he sent her an email (ouch, being left at the alter is one thing, being dumped via email is therapy-inducing).

Needless to say, Jefferson has been dogged in the media and on blogs with charges of him being everything from a flat out coward to a closet homosexual (Jefferson has been dogged by rumors of being gay for a long time now). The speculation has run ramped and done damage to the image of Jefferson (a man leaving a woman at the alter can’t possibly expect to look like anything more than a cad – or a closet homosexual).

Jefferson called in to The Howard Stern (@sternshow) to explain the facts of the situation and to defend his honor.

“I think you so did the right thing… there are so many guys who know that they’re marrying the wrong woman and it comes to them sometimes the day of the wedding… and the nicest thing you can do to that person is to say ‘Look, we’re not going to get married today’ even though it’s horrible.”

Howard Stern & Wife Beth Ostrosky

I agree with Stern. Getting married when you don’t really believe you are ready to commit is a responsible though difficult decision to make. However, there are sure signs (both within the relationship and within yourself) that you are not ready to get married long before the day of the wedding. To fester in denial until the last moment is cowardly, irresponsible and extremely immature.

He defends his actions (and, of course, nothing is black and white so here is surely more to this story and, possibly, denial on both of their parts that led to this embarrassment). But it sounds like these two people did the best thing walking away from each other. Based on Jefferson’s interpretation of their relationship over the past three years that he shares generously with Stern, their entire relationship sounds like it was one big crapfest-mess.

My advice for Jefferson and Nichols: get on with your lives separately, grow up, try committing to another human being after you mature quite a bit and learn who you are and what you want in life (it is not written in stone that you must be married by the time you’re 30 years old – live your lives for goodness sakes).