Toriah Lachell: Hairstylist, Entrepreneur, and Mother to NBA Star’s Son

Growing up in Florissant, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Toriah was raised by her mother Julie Gibbs and stepfather John Gibbs. She attended McCluer North High School, where she played varsity softball and soccer for four years, demonstrating athletic prowess and competitive spirit that would later translate to her entrepreneurial pursuits.

Her involvement in multiple sports developed discipline, teamwork skills, and time management abilities. The St. Louis area’s strong community ties and Midwestern values shaped her character and work ethic, instilling values of hard work and family importance that continue to influence her approach to business and parenting.

High School Romance with Jayson Tatum

Toriah met Jayson Tatum during their high school years in the St. Louis area, though they attended different schools. Their relationship began around August 2014, developing during the years when Jayson was emerging as one of the nation’s top basketball prospects. The couple became more public when Jayson took Toriah to his prom in 2015.

Their relationship faced significant challenges when Jayson left Missouri to attend Duke University. During Jayson’s freshman year at Duke in 2017, Toriah became pregnant at age 17. Their son Deuce was born on December 6, 2017, just months before Jayson was drafted by the Boston Celtics. The relationship ended shortly after Deuce’s birth, requiring both young parents to navigate co-parenting while pursuing their individual goals.

Embracing Motherhood and Career Development

Becoming a mother at 17 dramatically altered Toriah’s life trajectory. Rather than allowing this challenge to derail her ambitions, she focused on developing professional skills. She enrolled in beauty school, pursuing certification as a professional hairstylist, recognizing the beauty industry’s potential for entrepreneurship and schedule flexibility beneficial for single parents.

Her decision to specialize in natural and curly hair care filled a significant market need. Many hairstylists lack proper training in caring for textured hair, creating opportunities for specialists who understand the unique requirements of curly, coily, and kinky hair textures. Balancing motherhood with professional training required extraordinary dedication, demonstrating resilience that later contributed to her business success.

Building The Curl Bar Boston

After completing her beauty training and building clientele, Toriah Lachell opened The Curl Bar Boston, her own salon specializing in natural hair care. This business venture represented significant risk, but her specialization in curly hair care addressed a genuine market need created by the natural hair movement.

Toriah’s relocation to Boston, where Jayson plays for the Celtics, facilitated easier co-parenting while positioning her business in a major metropolitan market with diverse demographics and strong demand for specialized hair services. Building a successful salon requires more than just hair cutting skills—she needed to develop business acumen including financial management, marketing, and customer service. Her success demonstrates she developed these multifaceted skills while still in her early twenties.

Co-Parenting with an NBA Star

Successfully co-parenting with Jayson Tatum while he maintains a demanding NBA schedule requires flexibility, communication, and putting their son’s needs first. Jayson’s career involves extensive travel, irregular schedules, and intense media attention—factors that complicate typical co-parenting arrangements.

Despite these challenges, both parents have prioritized Deuce’s wellbeing. Jayson frequently brings Deuce to Celtics games, where the youngster has become a fan favorite. Toriah’s role, while less publicly visible, provides the stable home environment and day-to-day care that allows Deuce to thrive. The success of their co-parenting suggests both parties have maintained respectful communication and flexibility, putting aside personal differences to focus on their son.

Navigating Privacy and Public Interest

Toriah Lachell maintains relatively low public profile compared to her ex-partner’s celebrity status. While she uses social media to promote her business and occasionally shares aspects of her life, she carefully controls what information becomes public, avoiding detailed discussion of her relationship with Jayson or their co-parenting arrangements.

This measured approach demonstrates maturity and strategic thinking. Unlike some individuals connected to celebrities who leverage that connection for attention, Toriah focuses on building her professional brand and protecting her son’s privacy. Her social media presence serves primarily professional purposes, showcasing her work and promoting The Curl Bar Boston, helping establish her identity as a professional hairstylist rather than simply as an NBA player’s ex-girlfriend.

Professional Growth and Industry Recognition

The beauty industry’s competitive nature means building a successful salon requires continuous skill development, trend awareness, and excellent customer service. Toriah’s specialization in curly hair care positions her in a growing niche where expertise commands premium pricing and loyal clientele.

Natural hair care requires understanding different curl patterns, porosity levels, and styling techniques specific to textured hair. Client retention depends heavily on consistent results and positive experience. The Curl Bar Boston’s apparent success suggests Toriah delivers quality services that keep clients returning and recommending her work to others.

Financial Independence and Personal Success

With an estimated net worth between $500,000 and $2 million, Toriah Lachell has achieved significant financial success for someone in their mid-twenties. This wealth comes primarily from her salon business and demonstrates smart business decisions and financial discipline.

Her financial independence provides important benefits beyond monetary security. Economic self-sufficiency ensures she maintains autonomy in life decisions and can provide stable environment for Deuce through her own earnings. This independence also influences co-parenting dynamics positively, as both parents contribute financially to their son’s wellbeing from their respective incomes.

Life Lessons and Future Outlook

Toriah’s journey offers valuable lessons about resilience and entrepreneurship. Her ability to transform teenage motherhood from potential obstacle into motivation for building successful business demonstrates remarkable maturity and determination.

Her insistence on building independent career rather than relying solely on her connection to Jayson Tatum shows admirable self-sufficiency. The successful co-parenting relationship she maintains with Jayson demonstrates both parties’ commitment to putting Deuce first, avoiding the public drama that often plagues former couples.

Conclusion

Toriah Lachell represents a new generation of young women who refuse to let circumstances define their potential. Rather than being known solely as an NBA player’s ex-girlfriend or living in the shadow of her former partner’s fame, she built meaningful career in the beauty industry while successfully raising their son. Her journey from teenage mother in Missouri to successful salon owner in Boston demonstrates that early parenthood, while challenging, doesn’t have to derail personal ambitions or professional success.

Through The Curl Bar Boston, she found a niche where passion meets business opportunity, serving clients who need specialized expertise in natural hair care. Her commitment to maintaining privacy while strategically using social media for business purposes shows sophisticated understanding of personal branding in the digital age. Most importantly, her dedication to co-parenting successfully with Jayson Tatum ensures that their son Deuce grows up with both parents actively involved in his life, despite their romantic relationship ending.

As she continues growing her business and raising Deuce, Toriah Lachell sets an example of resilience, independence, and grace under circumstances that would challenge anyone. Her story reminds us that our circumstances don’t determine our outcomes—our responses to those circumstances do. By choosing to build rather than blame, to create rather than coast, and to maintain dignity rather than seek drama, she crafted a life of meaning, success, and stability for herself and her son.

Adam Scott