Just weeks after becoming a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors rookie Allen Graves has announced another major milestone. Graves and his wife, Malia, are expecting a baby boy in January 2027.
Apparently, getting drafted into the NBA was not enough excitement for one summer.
The 19-year-old from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is now preparing for two big responsibilities at the same time. One involves basketball, the other involves diapers, midnight crying, and discovering that sleep is apparently a luxury.
Allen Graves = family man pic.twitter.com/QSIrPE2Ynz
— Ryan Dickison (@RyanDickison7) July 20, 2026
“From just the two of us to a family of three. Our little boy, we can’t wait to meet you,” the couple’s social media post reads.
The baby announcement featured an AI-generated image of a teddy bear wearing a No. 22 Toronto Raptors jersey — the number Graves will wear during his rookie season.
“We’re adding Baby Graves to our roster… taking the court in January 2027,” the photo read.
The two first met in kindergarten class at Southeastern Lab School in Ponchatoula. According to Graves, he knew the day they met that she was the person he wanted to marry.
Last year, he proposed in the very same classroom where they first met.
Of course, being an NBA rookie is not exactly an easy job. There will be pressure to perform, there will be long road trips, there will be tough games and then there is the small matter of raising a baby.
So, if Graves looks tired during his rookie season, fans may want to give him a break. It might not be the defense, the baby could simply have decided that sleeping through the night is overrated.
Still, Graves has plenty to celebrate.
