Discover the Inspiring Journey of Houston Basketball Star J’Wan Roberts and His Supportive Parents, Elbe Brathwaite and Jeff Roberts

Basketball flows in J’Wan Roberts’ veins — just inquire with his parents, Elbe Brathwaite and Jeff Roberts. 

“He was genuinely born to excel in basketball if you ask me,” his father stated to WTJX in April 2025. However, the athletic talent of the Houston Cougars forward is not an anomaly in his lineage. Like their son, Elbe and Jeff also participated in collegiate basketball, deciding to move him from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he was initially born and grew up, to Texas to enhance his recruitment prospects.

J’Wan and his younger sister, Jasonique Roberts, resided with their aunt until they completed high school. After receiving numerous scholarship offers, J’Wan opted to enroll at the University of Houston in 2018, according to The Houston Roundball Review.

So who are J’Wan Roberts’ parents? Here’s what you need to know about Elbe Brathwaite and Jeff Roberts.

Elbe and Jeff brought J’Wan up in the U.S. Virgin Islands 

Elbe and Jeff welcomed their son, J’Wan Andone Roberts, on September 19, 2001, and nurtured him in St. Thomas, an island of the Virgin Islands. The collegiate basketball player mentioned to PaperCity in 2022 that he had a view of the beach from the porch of his childhood home. 

“I miss it,” J’Wan remarked. “Surrounded by water … It gets pretty hot down there. Really hot. But it’s a good kind of hot. You can go to the beach and just swim for hours. You can swim all day. You can nap on the beach … If I could go to the beach every day, I would.”

They relocated him to Texas to advance his basketball career

The summer following his eighth-grade graduation, Jeff and Elbe sent J’Wan to Killeen, Texas, to live with Elbe’s sister, providing the budding athlete an opportunity to hone his basketball abilities. He described the transition to his aunt’s residence as a “significant step” to The Virgin Island Daily News — one that positively influenced his development as a player. 

“Back home, anyone with substantial talent would just go out and play, do their thing,” J’Wan expressed to the outlet in 2021. “But when I relocated [to Texas], there was a system I had to adapt to. It wasn’t simply about going out there and playing for high scores; it was about assisting your team in winning and understanding your role within the team.” 

They are both former basketball athletes

J’Wan isn’t the only collegiate athlete in his family. Elbe was a championship player for the University of the Virgin Islands’ Lady Buccaneers basketball team.

Jeff, who mentioned to WTJX that he has played the sport with his son since his early years, also competed at the junior college level. Although an injury hindered him from further pursuing the sport, he expressed his excitement in witnessing his son’s accomplishments on the court.

“I’m thrilled for him, happy for him,” he stated. “It’s part of the game. It’s what he signed up for. It’s about going out there and just playing basketball, you know, leaving everything else aside.”

Jeff manages J’Wan’s youth basketball charity

When he’s not supporting his son from the sidelines, Jeff is overseeing J’Wan’s foundation. He has held the position of president of the J’Wan Roberts Foundation since its inception in 2024. The organization provides support to the youth of St. Thomas through basketball mentorship programs.

They have several children

In addition to J’Wan, Elbe and Jeff also have a daughter: Jasonique. Unlike her family, she did not pursue college basketball and opted to join the U.S. Navy after graduating from Robert M. Shoemaker High School in 2022. 

Jasonique was honored as the Navy’s “Murph of the Week” in 2024. She shared with The St. Croix Source that she enlisted to travel the world and “to become a better person and build a foundation for myself, to assist my family in the future and care for those who have cared for me.”

She continued, “My aunt has always wanted to be in the military and never had the chance to. She is one of the reasons that I’m here today.”

J’Wan also has two other siblings, Genique Smalls and Keith Nicholson, as indicated in his Houston Cougars biography.