What nationality is Bobby Portis? Ethnicity, family roots and more about the Milwaukee Bucks star

“She really likes basketball… That was her first love and I feel like she’s living her dream through me.” said Bobby Portis Jr., describing his mother, Tina Edwards. There are many stories behind the Milwaukee Bucks star’s journey, from picking up the ball for the first time to winning the championship in 2021. And his mother played a big role in shaping his career today. In this article, let’s briefly look at the background of the 6-foot-2 ballplayer.

Before that, it’s also important to note that Portis has found himself on the trade block amid his hot and cool run for the Bucks. The big man, in his fifth year playing for the Wisconsin team, experienced a slight slump at the start of the 2024-25 season and struggled to score off the bench. And it finally brought him to the trading city early. So Portis could be playing in another franchise in a few weeks. Or will the Bucks continue to trust him? Only time will tell.

Where is Bobby Portis from? What ethnicity is the Milwaukee Bucks star?

Bobby Portis Jr. was born on February 10, 1995 to Bobby Portis Sr. and Tina Edwards in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. So this makes it clear that the Bucks star is an American citizen with a African American ethnicity. There is very little information about his father as he left at a very young age.

Speaking of which, Tina Edwards said: “From the beginning it was just him and me because his father left us when he was ten months old.” More importantly, she was instrumental in bringing basketball into Portis Jr.’s life. In her youth she was a basketball player herself. She added: “I showed him some clippings of me and what I did in junior college…I think he was like, ‘Hey, I can do the same thing my mom did.”

Guess what? She wasn’t wrong. Bobby Portis became one of the most valuable assets in the Bucks family. Well, it certainly wasn’t an easy journey. At the age of 20, the young ballplayer had to overcome just about every adversity possible to make himself mentally strong. With the help of his mother and supportive coaches, Portis survived multiple evictions, moves, domestic issues with father figures, and more. At the end of the day, it produced a mature and tough basketball player.

Bobby Portis Jr. and bumpy ride with the Bucks

Before cementing his place with the Bucks, Portis played in brief stints with the Bulls, Wizards and Knicks. He joined the Bucks’ roster in the 2020-21 season and the team won the championship that same season. The big man cemented his place as second unit leader. Portis comes off the bench to keep the buckets ticking and the defense intact whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo plays.

But this season, his fifth season with the Bucks, Portis appeared to be in crisis. The star even had to indirectly take a swipe from coach Doc Rivers when he ran to the bench after a defeat. Portis, who was the leader of the bench, took advantage of most of it. Still, it was only a matter of days before the star regained the coach’s trust after helping the team qualify for the NBA Cup semifinals.

Rivers said: “He’s just playing great. His feelings are in the right place. His focus is right. You can see his energy in the last two games, he has been fantastic, without Bobby we would be in trouble.” Now that they’ve reached the NBA Cup Finals, will the team decide to take him off the trade block? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.