Adia Barnes (born: February 3, 1977; Age: 46) is an American former basketball player and coach of African-American descent. She played seven seasons in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) for different teams before playing internationally with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.
Barnes is currently pitching her tent with the University of Arizona Wildcats female basketball team, where she played her collegiate career. Besides basketball, she has worked as a TV color analyst for Seattle Storm game broadcasts. Due to her unique physical features, Adia Barnes’ ethnicity has been a controversial topic, with some sources saying she is of the Caucasian race while others say she is Black. Going by her background, it is safe to say that Adia Barnes is African American.
Adia Barnes’s Ethnicity is African-American
It might be difficult to tell just by looking at her, but Adia Barnes is from a Black American background. This is easily deduced from pictures of her parents as they are clearly African Americans.
Nevertheless, her unique physical features suggest there is a mix of races somewhere in her bloodline. However, the source of her looks remains a mystery.
Tracing Adia Barnes’s Ethnicity Through Her Parents
Adia Barnes’ Parents’ Ethnicity
Adia Barnes was born to Pete Barnes – a former American football player who died in 2018, and Patricia McRae – an actress. She was born on February 3, 1977, in San Diego, California, where she also grew up with her parents. While she is more popular than her parents, pictures that have made it online show that they are both black.
Pete Barnes was born on August 31, 1945, in Keachi, Louisiana, United States. Though his parents and background details are mostly unknown, it is common knowledge that Pete Barnes was a Black American. His pictures say it all.
On the maternal side, Adia Barnes’ mother, Patricia McRae, is also Black. Aside from the fact that she is from Long Island, New York, no further details have been made available about her background. However, like her father, pictures of Adia Barnes’ mother show she is from an African background.
Adia Barnes’s Parents’ Nationality
Both parents of Adia Barnes were born in the United States of America, thus, they are Americans. While her father, Pete Barnes, was born in Keachi, Louisiana, her mother, Patricia McRae, was born in Long Island, New York.
The former couple got married and settled down into family life in San Diego, California, where they gave birth to Adia. The American family split up when Adia was just three years old as her parents divorced each other.
Who are Adia Barnes’s Parents?
Patricia McRae and Pete Barnes are the parents of Adia Barnes. There is no information about the time they met or got married, but they divorced when Adia was still a toddler. Patricia moved on with her love life and married a man named Bruce McRae, taking her children with her. This caused a drift between Adia and her father, whom she never knew until his dying moments.
Adia Barnes’ mother, Patricia McRae, is an Actress
Patricia McRae is an American actress born and raised in Long Island, New York. Her physical features show she is from the Black community, but the details of her family background are not public knowledge. She is well educated with a BA in Psychology, MS in Special Education/ School Counseling, and Ph.D. in Educational Studies.
Growing up, Patricia knew she wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry. She has always loved musical theatre, and even after working with disabled teenage students as an educator after her college education, she later found her way back to the theatre. Her acting career took off in local theatre productions and independent films, growing to greater heights in a very short time.
So far, McRae has worked with many talented people in the movie industry. She is hopeful for better opportunities in her career and also loves to contribute to the general welfare of charity organizations that see to the health, education, and welfare of less privileged children.
Adia Barnes’ Father, Pete Barnes, was a Professional Football Player
Peter Barnes (August 31, 1945 – May 3, 2018) was an American football player who played both in the AFL and NFL. Born on August 31, 1945, in Keachi, Louisiana, United States, Pete played college football at Southern University and proceeded to the American Football League (AFL), where he played for the Houston Oilers in 1967 and 1968. He also played for the San Diego Chargers of the AFL in 1969.
Barnes later played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chargers from 1970 to 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973 to 1975, and the New England Patriots from 1976 to 1977. The New England Patriots were the last team he played with before his career came to an end.
At the age of 72, Pete Barnes died on May 3, 2018, in a Tucson hospice care facility after years of battling Alzheimer’s disease. The former football player died shortly after getting in touch with his long-lost family, including Adia Barnes.
She was Estranged From Her Father For Decades
Adia Barnes was just three years old when her parents divorced, and her mother later married a man named Bruce McRae. As a result, she had to go with her mom and grew up not knowing her biological father. Though they talked on the phone a few times, there was no father-daughter relationship between them.
It was in 2017 that a call came to her about her ailing dad, and she took off to Texas to get him. The call came from Pete’s former teammate Lee Thomas. Pete had been struggling to survive alone in Texas, and as Alzheimer’s disease took over his body, his memory failed. His landlord used the opportunity to extort money from him, making him pay multiple times a month as he didn’t remember he already paid before.
Adia moved her father to another apartment temporarily before taking him to the Tuscan hospice, where he passed on. She also teamed up with her sisters – Candace and Maisha to get their father into the NFL’s 88 Plan, which grants retired NFL players with dementia around $100,000 per year for medical and custodial care.
Though forgetful in his last days, Pete never forgot who Adia was to him. They spent the last five months of his life getting to know each other after more than three decades apart. Adria has said she is glad she met him and got to spend time with him. Besides, she didn’t hate him for being absent in her life, but she is grateful she had a good life.
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