Looks like those rumors were true. Brandi Maxiell is coming back to Basketball Wives. That’s after a very dramatic exit as it tends to happen in reality TV. We all thought Brandi was done with the show after her epic fallout with Shaunie Henderson almost a decade ago. You know, since Shaunie is the executive producer of the entire franchise, we thought Jason Maxiell’s wife would never be back. But she’s not only had sporadic appearances, Shaunie confirmed her return in an emotional fashion. All those clashes seem insignificant now that Shaunie confirmed her friendship with Brandi, especially as moms, goes deeper.

A month since Basketball Wives: LA returned, Shaunie gave an exclusive sneak peak of what’s coming on her Instagram. “SNEAK PEEK: Coming to a city near you…✈️We’ve come a long way! You know what that is? ✨ Growth ✨ Tune Into tonight’s episode of #BasketballWives at 8/7c on @vh1,” she wrote.

The Reel was a video call between Shaunie and Brandi, and it was heartwarming. Brandi confirmed, “Shaunie and I have come a long way,” which shows. What makes Brandi say, “That’s my girl,” is going through the same thing with their sons’ health conditions.

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson’s son, Shareef, overcame a congenital heart condition in college, got surgery, and got back to basketball. Brandi and Jason’s son, Jason Jr. who is younger than the O’Neal kids, also underwent heart surgery for the same condition. So Shaunie had been very supportive of Brandi during that trying time.

During their call, Brandi tells her ol’ frenemy, “I still praise you with all this stuff with Baby Jason. Like, you really saved our lives.” Seeing Shareef bounce back helped Brandi stay positive for her son too. Jason Jr. is now hailed as a young ‘heart hero’ and his parents are outspoken health advocates. Brandi credits Shaunie for helping their family. “She led me in the right direction and I’m forever grateful to her for that.”

Diehards of the show know how surprising this turn of events is. Considering how Shaunie and Brandi were years ago.

The ups and downs of Shaunie and Brandi’s friendship

The LA version of the show returned after a while since Shaunie is now based in Houston. But she called Brandi to let her know she’s coming to LA and both will be on the show. Brandi was one of the original cast members of the show but was out after season 3 in an explosive manner.

During the ladies’ Puerto Rican vacation, Brandi accused Shaunie of belittling all of them and called her a “b****” Shaunie clapped back with, “Thank you for your services.” That was essentially firing her. But Maxiell returned for season 5 after hashing it out off screen, though, Shaunie was not excited about her return.

Brandi took an extended hiatus from the show and returned briefly in season 10. But again she was let go along with several other cast members. This time she’s returning in a grand way with a renewed friendship with Shaunie. How that works out we’d have to see on Basketball Wives on Vh1 at 8 pm EST.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.