Who Is Buddy Hield? Girlfriend, Family, Personal Life, and More About the Warriors’ Game 7 Savior
Madhu
7 min read
AI generated illustration of Buddy Hield.
On a warm night in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors welcomed their newest sharpshooter. Not just another player. This was Buddy Hield — the man tasked with filling the shoes of Klay Thompson, a five-time All-Star, three-time champion, and franchise icon, one of the Splash Brothers. A tall order. A headline-grabber. But behind the three-point stats and the roaring crowd is a story bigger than basketball. A story stitched together by sacrifice, family, resilience, and faith.
“I’m a grinder. I’ve been grinding my whole life,” Hield once said — a mantra that’s echoed across his career and personal life.This is the story of Buddy Hield — the NBA star from Eight Mile Rock, the son of Jackie Swann, the father of Rainer Cali, the partner of Remi Martinii, the soul of a community, and a symbol of what it means to turn “not enough” into more than enough.
Born Chavano Rainer Hield: The Roots of Buddy Hield
Before he became a household name in NBA arenas, Buddy Hield was just a kid named Chavano. Born in Freeport, Bahamas on December 17, 1992, he grew up in Eight Mile Rock — one of Grand Bahama’s oldest communities. Buddy is the fifth of seven children raised by his mother, Jackie Swann. After her divorce from Vincent Hield, Jackie moved her large family into her mother’s cramped three-bedroom house, already home to two sisters and their kids. Despite the limited space, Jackie’s spirit never wavered.
She juggled three jobs—house cleaning, wedding catering, and sales—to support her children. “Biggest motivator, I would probably say my mom,” Hield once said. “How she takes care of seven kids by herself and how she raised us. She is always an inspiration to us.”
“We may not have a lot, but it’s enough,” she often told them. That mantra carried Buddy through the toughest of times. Buddy learned grit watching her. He built makeshift hoops to practice, turning lack into opportunity. From makeshift hoops to MVP honors at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and ultimately, to NBA stardom.
“I loved the feeling of creating something out of nothing,” he wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
The nickname “Buddy” wasn’t by chance. His mother, Jackie Swann, and her friend saw something uncanny in his resemblance to Bud Bundy from the sitcom Married… With Children. That’s where it started. But it evolved quickly when Swann realized a local drug dealer shared the same nickname. “She didn’t think it right,” and so she added three letters. Just like that, Chavano became Buddy — and the name stuck.
That name would one day appear on jerseys across Oklahoma, Sacramento, Indiana, and now, Golden State.
Buddy Hield Ethnicity: Caribbean Roots, Global Reach
Buddy Hield’s story can’t be told without understanding where he came from. Born to Bahamian parents, Hield is of African descent. A mix of cultures and histories converge in his identity — but what shines through is his pride in being Bahamian.“You think about the Bahamas, you think it’s this island full of beaches and chilling on the beach. But there’s a lot of freak athletes down there that can play,” Hield said. “And a lot of guys better than me who I feel like didn’t get an opportunity like me. But when I got my opportunity, I took full advantage of it.”View this post on Instagram
His success didn’t come without sacrifice. But Hield never let go of home. He embraced his role as a national symbol.
From Bahamas to the NBA: The Journey of a Grinder
Buddy’s rise wasn’t linear. After high school stardom at Jack Hayward, he caught the eye of The All Bahamian Brand, a local basketball magazine. That spotlight helped him transition to Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, where he led the team to a national championship and MVP honors in 2011.
That success planted the seeds for what would become an NBA journey full of persistence, sacrifice, and milestones — like being the fastest player in league history to make 1,000 three-pointers. Or sinking 12 triples across just two games. That’s Buddy.
Buddy Hield Girlfriend: The Woman Beside the Warrior
Behind every step Buddy Hield has taken on the hardwood, there’s been a constant presence off of it — Remi Martinii, a Bahamian model turned entrepreneur and mother of their daughter, Rainer Cali Hield. While the timeline of their relationship remains private, Remi’s journey is a powerful narrative in itself.
A Bahamian beauty with a law degree and a modeling career, Martinii broke stereotypes before she ever met Buddy. Discovered by photographer Christine Demeritte in 10th grade, she began modeling young. “Over the years I shot with her niece while she was in Paris studying. When she arrived back home she had noticed my pictures and reached out to me,” Remi shared in a 2021 interview with CaribVoxx.
But modeling wasn’t her only pursuit. Remi graduated from the University of Westminster in London with a law degree — a discipline that sharpened her negotiation skills and gave her the confidence she once lacked. “I will never make the mistake of signing a contract without thoroughly going through the terms,” she explained, reflecting on how her legal education empowered her as a professional.
Buddy Hield Daughter: Becoming Dad
The turning point for both Buddy and Remi came when they embraced parenthood.View this post on Instagram
Together, they welcomed their daughter, Rainer Cali Hield — now six years old — into the world. “Since I have been blessed with my baby girl I’ve been working on becoming a better person,” Remi shared. “Since Rainer, my relationship with God has definitely gotten stronger. Being a mom you just want to be the best role model for your kids. I have become a lot more motivated.”
View this post on Instagram
Martinii, now a full-time mompreneur, channeled her passion into building RH2o Swim — a swimsuit brand focused on mother-daughter designs. “Family, my health, and fitness, and also working on my business,” Remi said of her priorities.
Rainer, the couple’s daughter, has even found her way onto Instagram — her account lovingly managed by her parents, capturing the innocence of a young girl born into love, not limelight.
Buddy Hield Philanthropy: The Heart of a Champion
Buddy Hield doesn’t just carry his mother’s lessons — he lives them. Through the Buddy Hield Foundation, he pours back into the community that raised him. His nonprofit is rooted in youth development, hosting annual basketball camps in the Bahamas and donating school supplies, sanitation packages, and tech tools to students in need.
During the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Buddy didn’t watch from afar. He opened a GoFundMe, donated $100,000 of his own money, and raised $450,000 through a private dinner in Sacramento. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The Bahamian government named him Ambassador at Large for Sports and Cultural Advancement.
Foreign Minister Mitchell explained, “Mr. Hield’s philanthropic efforts within the Bahamian community, engaging in youth educational and sports initiatives through his nonprofit Buddy Hield Foundation, are the exact social programs required to break the trend of our young joining gangs and encouraging them to rise above their adversities.”
Buddy Hield is not just a shooter. He’s a story. A testimony. A symbol. And as his shots fall under the lights of Chase Center, remember the journey that made it all possible.
From Eight Mile Rock to NBA stardom — Buddy Hield is proof that faith, family, and fierce willpower can take you anywhere.
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