As social media filled with unfounded rumors that she’s now dating one of her ex-husband’s current players, Nikki Spoelstra addressed them head on.
In a video posted to Instagram, the ex-wife of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra vehemently denied her involvement in such a relationship. While she didn’t mention him by name, her comments appeared to be directed toward the viral rumor she was dating Miami Heat second-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“Y’all streets give me way too much power when s**t doesn’t go your way in pro sports,” the 38-year-old Spoelstra says in the video. “It’s one thing for you sports fanatics to come onto my page after I made a really big life choice and talk crazy and it’s another thing entirely for you to come to my page to harass me and call me crazy names over something, a rumor, a f**king story that is 100 percent flat out not true.”
Spoelstra, whose seven-year marriage with the two-time NBA champion head coach ended in 2023, proceeded to note that she had already spoken with the player in question’s mom and girlfriend, both of whom had been referenced in the viral rumor. The former Heat dancer said that the three women were “over here rolling our eyes at all you knuckleheads.”
Spoelstra also added that she would never date one of her ex-husband’s players for two very specific reasons, although she declined to state what they were.
“You come over here with your dirty feet in my space, I’m going to address you and call you out,” she said. “…While your story might be entertaining with these plot assumptions, there are so many holes in your story and quite frankly it’s just really bad storytelling.”
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While the origins of the rumor regarding Jaquez remain unclear, it picked up enough steam on Sunday that Barstool Sports personality Kevin Clancy made a video breaking it down. In his video. Clancy noted the “ridiculous” nature of the rumor, pointing out that it was primarily based on Spoelstra having liked the UCLA product’s Instagram posts.
But regardless of how or why it came to fruition, the rumor gained enough traction that the Becoming: HER host felt compelled to address it publicly. As for Jaquez, the 24-year-old forward was coincidentally removed from the Heat’s starting lineup on Sunday. And if nothing else, we can at least rule out one potential reason for his benching.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.