Simone Biles is a history-making Olympic gymnast but to her family, she is also a wife, daughter, sister and aunt. When Biles was named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year on Jan. 2, her husband, Jonathan Owens, celebrated her award, writing in an Instagram story, “So proud of you baby.”
And when Owens, a safety for the Chicago Bears, celebrated a big play in a game on Nov. 24, he honored Biles by throwing both hands in the air, as she has done time and time again in world-class gymnastics events.
In addition to being Owens’ wife, Biles is also a proud daughter of her parents, Ronald and Nellie Biles, and older sister of Adria Biles. Simone Biles’ entire family was by her side at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won gold in both the women’s gymnastics individual all-around and the team competition with her teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey.
She also won gold in the women’s vault competition and silver in the women’s floor competition, bringing home her 10th and 11th Olympic medals. After the team competition, Simone Biles sweetly called out her dad for using binoculars to see her better in Paris, writing on Instagram alongside a photo of Ronald Biles, “my dad & his binoculars is soooo freaking cute.” Ronald Biles — Simone Biles’ biological grandfather — and his wife of nearly 50 years, Nellie Biles, adopted Simone Biles when she was 6, after she and her three siblings were placed in foster care due to their mom’s issues with substance abuse.
Simone Biles and Adria Biles were adopted by Ronald and Nellie Biles in Texas, while their two older siblings were adopted by a great-aunt in Ohio. In an episode of her Facebook Watch series, titled “Simone vs Herself,” Simone Biles opened up about her upbringing. “I don’t remember a lot about foster care, but I definitely knew that we had been taken from our biological mom, and then you just think you’re going to go back to her,” she shared. “We were very fortunate that we actually got to stay with our siblings because a lot of the time you either get regrouped from home to home to home, or you and your siblings get split up.”
Simone Biles has credited her success to Ronald and Nellie Biles and has expressed her gratitude for their support and presence in her life. “Appreciation post for my sweet parents,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post in June 2021, alongside a photo of her parents giving her kisses on her cheeks.
“Thanks for making sacrifices since day 1 so I can live out my dream,” she continued. “But most importantly thanks for always being there for me through all the highs and lows.”
