Newton Mayenge was born on June 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The youngest of four children; his parents are of African descent from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire). He speaks fluent Lingala and has a basic proficiency in French. While he is not an only child, because of the age difference, his siblings were in college during his formative years. With a passion for basketball, he played all through his younger years and received scholarships and played in college. After graduating from the University of North Carolina with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and African-American Studies, he played professional basketball in Germany. After a car crash ended his dreams of playing in the NBA, he turned to his next love, performing. Since then, he has been seen on fashion show runways in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Palm Springs.He has also been on book covers and in various films. He is currently on the new 1980's HBO TV Series called Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty where is plays NBA legend Jim Chones slated to air in March of 2022. He is also the Host of The League Talk Show produced by his wife Actress Whitney Bowers.