THE FAMILY MAN
“Devin is more than just my cousin. He’s my best friend, he’s my brother. He believed in me and this journey, more than I believed in it sometimes. He was really with me shooting in the gym. That is my Day One.”
After winning his second gold medal in Tokyo, Derek abruptly announced his retirement. His wife and his parents had an idea, but the one person who knew about it for sure was Devin.
“He talked about it a lot before going to Vegas, especially after everything with his mom. There was so much going on for him personally in his last season and he felt like he accomplished all that he wanted to and he was satisfied. He just wanted to fulfill this obligation and walk away from the game at peace.”
Derek’s sole focus was his family the entire time he was out. His wife, Naya Rivera, was pregnant with their first child during the Olympics. Jordan Carter Baldwin was born in January 2021.
“When the doctor put him in my arms, I knew I made the right decision. I wasn’t going to have any interest in going back to the gym with this little guy at home. Not to mention I wanted my wife to be able to enjoy her career as well. It was easy to balance when it was just us, but now we had the little guy to add to the mix. I wanted that transition back to be seamless for her.”
The couple had only been married for about 18 months, but they had been together for five years by then. They started dating shortly a few months after his arrival to Los Angeles.
“She and I have always been friends. Since I’ve met her we have been friends. People always ask if she was the reason I moved to Los Angeles.”
“I’d like to think that I was a factor,” she said.
“She was not as big of a factor as she likes to think,” he says, laughing.
As much as he is in his element on the court, this is really where he feels like he serves his purpose. As a husband, father, son and best friend. He also took that time to expand his business portfolio. He continued to build his brand off the court. Not only was he working on endorsement deals, but he was building partnerships with brands as well. He was still active with NBA Cares, he did some broadcasting during the NBA Finals. He did international camps with Nike. He became an investor with Black owned business around Los Angeles and in New Orleans. He began the Derek Baldwin Diamond Academy, which focuses not only on top high school players, but also some international and Junior College players as well.
“We wanted the best players from smaller schools. I wanted to help put kids in a better position than I was as far as exposure and getting the opportunities to let their game shine. Everybody doesn’t get to play on a national stage in high school. Everybody isn’t on a Nike Select team.”
Being a Stay-at-Home Dad was very rewarding for Derek. There were always photos of him on social media doing things with his son, Jordan. Going to the park, going to sporting events, going grocery shopping, hanging out at the beach. Even when he returned to the court, he tried to spend as much time with his kids as possible.
“I remember all of the time that I was able to spend with my father and I wanted the same experience for my son. I also remember the times that I wasn’t able to spend with him after he and my mom split when I was 16 and how much that impacted my life as well. I make breakfast, I do school pickups and drop offs. I’m at Show and Tell in full uniform because my kid wants me there. I’m helping with homework. Even if I had to take a meeting, sometimes Jordan would be right there with me and Devin. I always want to be present.”
“Yeah, he is really domesticated,” said Naya. She recounted the story of Baldwin leaving with a few minutes left in the Nets’ first playoff game in 2026 to make it to the hospital in time for the birth of their twins. “He ran all the way to the hospital to avoid the traffic, in his Nets’ warmups mind you, and still managed to stop at Junior’s to get a slice of cheesecake for me.”
“Family is priority number one,” said Derek. “I wasn’t missing that moment for anything.”
On a rather quiet Saturday morning, Derek is making breakfast for his family. The Brooklyn Heights condo slowly begins to fill with people as Noah and Devin show up to eat. The day is spent watching Disney movies and talking sports before going to Brooklyn Pier.
“He is in his element,” said Devin. “He is a huge family guy and he just loves to take care of people.”
“I was at peace with my decision. I didn’t feel a need to go back to the game. I had everything I wanted.”
Of course just because he decided he was done with the game that didn’t mean the game was done with him. After a full year into his retirement, his phone began to ring with offers from teams, not just to play, but also to coach.
“That was crazy,” said Baldwin. “I think the first call came from the Jazz. They wanted me to come on as an assistant coach. But I was good doing my thing at home with my family.”
After two years of the phone ringing, he finally started considering answering the calls. It wasn’t long after returning from Europe for the second leg of his wife’s world tour.
“Between working the camps and seeing Naya just doing what she loves made me think about wanting to get back out there. After having Jordan, she got right back to work. Music, filming, touring. She and I talked about it and she gave me the final push that I needed to do it.”
“He kept coming up with excuse after excuse as to why he shouldn’t do it,” she said. “Jordan was happy and healthy, his mom’s cancer had gone into remission. Things were as good as they could possibly get. So, I told him if he was scared just say that he was scared. I wouldn’t love him any less.”
Derek laughed. “She knows how to push my buttons. And I also think she was tired of me being a Trophy Husband.”
After talking with his wife, he called the other woman in his life, his mother.
“I talked to my mom about a possible return to the court. She basically said the same thing as Naya. Her health was much better than it was three years ago and that I didn’t need to worry about her. It was time for me to start living my life again. I love my family. They mean everything to me. I know that none of this would be possible without their support.”
“I feel like he gave up on his dreams too soon,” said Patricia. “Like he cut his story too short because he was worried about me. And while I love him dearly for that sacrifice, I didn’t want him to have any regrets.”
So, once it was decided that he would go back to coaching, the next question was where.
PG on the Nets wasn't cutting it.
I appreciate your patience during those early Brooklyn seasons. I thought we could do it without DB.
Nets’ fans going from awful to leagues best
