Simone Biles might quite possibly be one of the most prolific gymnasts in history. Sporting a cool and effortless 37 medal across the Worlds and the Olympics, her impressive repertoire is something we are already privy to. Simone Biles burst into the spotlight in 2013, despite being too young for the 2012 London Olympics. At just 16, she secured two gold medals at the Antwerp Championship, including the prestigious all-around title. Since then, her trajectory has been unstoppable. With seven Olympic medals to her name, four of which are gold, Biles dominated the 2016 Rio Olympics, triumphing in the team, all-around, vault, and floor categories.
Simone Arianne Biles has gone through hell and high water to make it here today, but not without the able backing of her iron clad parents. Like most athletes, Biles maintains a strict and disciplined stance during tournaments. But outside the arena, Simone Biles has an admirable and bubbly personality. Despite the unsettling atmosphere in the early years of her life, Biles has turned her life around for the better with the help of her family members. Let us get into the details of Biles’s loving family.
Why did Simone Biles’s birth mother leave her children in foster care?
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Simone Biles was born to a single mother named Shannon Biles on 14th March 1997. In the initial years of her life, Simone Biles grew up in a family of five, with her mother and three siblings. Biles’s father, Kelvin Clemons, was never a part of her life since the get-go.
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Shannon had also been “constantly in and out of jail” because of her habits. The earliest memories Simone has of her childhood days are of being “scared and hungry.” Shannon’s laxity towards her kids was first noticed by the neighbors, who then reported the matter to child services. By the time the child services had interfered, Simone Biles had turned 3. Looking at the conditions in which the four kids were growing, they were immediately put into foster care.
When Biles and her younger sister got adopted by their grandparents
After being separated from their mother, Simone Biles, and her siblings were put together in foster care. Simone Biles once revealed that she was blessed enough to not be separated from her siblings and put into separate foster homes. For the next three years, Simone Biles and her siblings had to move from one foster home to the other. Every time they were moved, Shannon’s father, Ronald Biles, was updated about the kids’ situation. Ultimately, when Simone Biles was six years old, Ron and his second wife, Nellie, urged the authorities to let the kids stay with them permanently.
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Fortunately, the permission was granted, but raising four young kids along with two of their own was impossible for Ron and Nellie, too. Hence Simone Biles’ older biological siblings, sister Ashley, and brother Tevin were adopted by their grand aunt, Harriet. In 2003, Simone Biles’ maternal grandfather, Ron, and his wife, Nellie, officially adopted Simone and her younger sister Adria.
Meet Ron and Nellie Biles, parents of the world-famous gymnast
Before adopting Simone Biles, Ron Biles was her maternal grandfather, and Nellie was his wife. It is to be noted that while Ronald is Shannon’s (Simone’s mother) biological father, his wife Nellie is not Shannon’s biological mother. Shannon reportedly grew up with her biological mother, away from her father, Ron Biles. However, despite knowing about her biological mother, Simone Biles considers Ron and Nellie as her “only mom and dad.”
In his prime days, Ron Biles served in the air force and later helped in installing air traffic control systems. Nellie, on the other hand, managed a series of nursing homes. Presently, supporting the dreams of many young gymnasts like Simone, Ron, and Nellie, own a gymnastics training center. Located in Spring, Texas, the center is named World Champions Centre. Simone Biles also practices in the same center now. As of February 2023, both Ron and Neille are 73 years old.
Adria Biles and other siblings of Simone Biles
Olympian gymnast Simone Biles has five siblings, including her two adoptive brothers. Her eldest biological sister, Ashley Thomas, is seven years older than Simone. Next in line is Simone’s older brother, Tevin. Both Ashley and Tevin were adopted by Ron’s sister, Harriet. After the adoption, Ashley and Tevin were separated from their younger siblings and grew up in Cleveland.
Simone’s third biological sibling is her younger sister, Adria. Just like Simone, Adria had also taken up gymnastics and competed on various levels. However, as new interests developed, Adria Biles realized gymnastics is not something she’d want to do for the rest of her life.
Simone Biles has two elder half-brothers, Ron Biles Jr., and Adam Biles. Growing up, the gymnast formed a close bond with her half-siblings. Simone Biles is also close to Biles Jr.’s wife Sammi Biles.
Simone Biles’s brother has faced various legal troubles
In 2019, Simone Biles’ older brother Tevin Biles Thomas was arrested for “murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and perjury.” Tevin was a soldier in the U.S. Army at the time. He was accused of shooting three men at the 2018 New Year’s eve party, in Cleveland. The incident had resulted in the death of 19-year-old DelVaunte Johnson, 21-year-old Toshaun Banks, and 23-year-old De Vaughn Gibson, who was also Biles’ cousin.
However, Tevin was later acquitted due to the lack of evidence to sustain the convictions. The surveillance footage and eye witness from the scene could not prove that the shooter was Tevin Biles Thomas. During the case, Simone Biles had taken to Twitter to empathize with the family of the victims.
How did Simone Biles’s family support the gymnast’s career?
Simone Biles’ family has been her biggest support system throughout her career. During a daycare field trip at six, Simone showed the first sign of interest in the sport. Her interest didn’t go unnoticed by the coaches at the scene, who then advised her parents to enroll Biles in a training center. Acknowledging the professional advice, Biles was enrolled in Bannon’s Gymnastix Center. While everything was going great and Simone was learning new skills, her career stumbled upon the first roadblock when she was diagnosed with ADHD. However, with her mother’s (Nellie) help, Simone was able to take control of the illness.
Every year, Nellie used to sit down with Simone and plan the routine for the coming year. Thereafter, she made sure that it was being followed, and the goals were achieved. Moreover, Simone’s brothers used to drive her to and from the gymnastics center. As Simone felt that her performance was better when her parents were in the audience, Ron and Nellie even traveled overseas for Simone’s international competitions. For as long as she has competed, her parents never missed any of her competitions except the one where no audience was allowed due to the pandemic. Simone Biles feels it takes an army to get where she is. For Simone, her family is her army.
Husband Jonathan Owens becomes a part of the Biles family
Simone Biles is currently married to the NFL player Jonathan Owens. Owens and Biles have been in a relationship since 2020. During the pandemic, the two were inseparable and often hung out at Biles’ place. This, in turn, resulted in Owens forming a bond with Biles’ family too. Their serendipitous encountered occurred through the Raya dating app. It was also revealed that before proposing to the gymnast, Owens asked her parents for her hand in marriage. With the two having tied the knot in 2023, Jonathan Owens has already been welcomed into the family with open arms and has been a mainstay in Biles’ life.
The adorable ‘fur’ family of the gymnastics GOAT
Along with the loving people in her family, Simone Biles also has some adorable fur babies. It took a long time for Simone and Adria to convince their parents to get them a dog.
Ultimately, after striking a deal with her father, she was able to get him to agree to bring home a dog. Growing up, Biles had four German Shepherds in her family home. But she had always wanted to have a small dog. Presently, Simone Biles has two French Bulldogs. Her 4-year-old female fur baby is named Lilo, and the 2-year-old male fur baby is named Rambo.
‘Baby Biles’–the new addition to the Biles family
On 25th November 2022, the Biles family welcomed the youngest edition to the family, Baby Biles. Simone’ elder half-brother Ron Biles Jr., and his wife, Sammi, conceived the baby through an IVF procedure. They have named the baby Ronni Louise Biles. As the baby was born prematurely, it took a while before she could be brought home. However, ever since she got home, the little one had been the star of her family’s Instagram. Sammi once shared a post in which the baby was wearing a gymnast’s suit, just like her aunt. She also called her the tiniest gymnast. Simone Biles also took to her Instagram to introduce her niece to her fans.
Updated on June 24th 2024
