Tennis star Serena Williams’s childhood home has sold for $1.2 million to an unknown buyer. Her stepmother, Lakeisha Williams, who recently reconciled with the tennis player’s father, Richard, reportedly sold the house to pay off a mountain of debt. She secured the sale just before it was due to be auctioned off amid a legal battle with creditors.
The house, located in Palm Beach, Florida, has a complex history and was at the center of family feuds. Lakeisha Williams, for instance, has admitted to forging Richard Williams’ signature to secure a loan using the house as leverage. Stepmom Lakeisha borrowed a substantial sum from lender David Simon but did not repay it. Now that she has sold it for $1.2 million, Lakeisha Williams stands to make a profit of more than $460,000.
Richard and Lakeisha Williams separated because of the financial deception and were in the process of initiating divorce, but Richard ended the process in July, and the couple now live together in a house registered in his famous daughter’s name.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams also placed her home on the market in June for $13.5 million. The house is located in Bel Air, California, and was built in 1935 with six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a couple of outdoor pools. Williams lived in the 6,100-square-foot home from 2006 until 2019.
A mansion in Bel Air is a far cry from Serena Williams’ upbringing in Compton, California – a place synonymous with high crime and poverty rates. Along with her sister Venus, Richard Williams encouraged her to play tennis from a young age and coached his daughters through their formative years despite having no experience in the sport. By 1997, Venus Williams had risen to become the first black American to reach the US Open final since Althea Gibson in 1958.
Two years later, Serena Williams followed and won the US Open in 1999 before going on to become one of the most successful players in the history of the game. Nevertheless, the star has spoken out about depression and anxiety that she had suffered throughout her astronomical rise.
