Simone Biles was adopted by her grandparents in 2003.
Her maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie, began caring for Simone and her younger sister Adria after the children entered foster care. The family moved the girls from Ohio to Spring, Texas, where Ron and Nellie raised them and eventually became their legal adoptive parents.
The adoption was part of a broader family arrangement. Simone’s two older siblings were adopted by their great-aunt, Harriet, while Ron and Nellie adopted Simone and Adria. This distinction matters because Biles is often described simply as having been “raised by her grandparents,” although the couple formally adopted the two younger girls in 2003.
Her new home in Texas also became the setting for her athletic development. At age six, Biles attended a gymnastics outing through daycare, impressed instructors by copying older gymnasts, and soon began formal training. She later increased her training schedule through homeschooling, helping create the foundation for her elite career.