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Jaime Jaquez Jr. on Meet-Cute With Dominique Ruotolo: ‘[It Was] Straight Out of a Movie’

The Miami Heat guard dished all the details on the season finale of ’Straight to Cam.’

Bailey Colon

Dominique Ruotolo and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Dominique Ruotolo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. / Romain Maurice/Getty Images/Haute Living

We’re suckers for a good “meet-cute” story, and the one between Swim Search finalist Dominique Ruotolo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. took us on a rollercoaster ride we don’t want to get off of.

Jaquez Jr.—a guard with the NBA’s Miami Heat since 2023—recently shared all the details on the Straight to Cam podcast, hosted by fellow basketball star and SI Swimsuit model Cameron Brink and Sydel Curry-Lee. The 24-year-old mentioned that his introduction to Ruotolo actually began on NBA Draft Night in New York City, where the California native was selected as the 18th overall pick by the Miami Heat.

“I bump into her [...] like straight out of a movie, we start talking and chatting,” Jaquez Jr. explained. The basketball player then elaborated, adding that the duo went to grab some pizza after making acquaintances, but the partying caught up to the draftee, putting an abrupt halt to their plans and diverting them to his hotel.

“I make a beeline straight to the bathroom, and you guys can put the story together from there. I end up dying,” he joked to the co-hosts, who shared a laugh. The athlete then disclosed that a friend of his ended up getting Ruotolo’s number for him before she headed out for the night. “She’s like, ’I gotta leave. I don't know who this guy is. Like—thanks, but no thanks.’”

He went on to explain—after he sent an apology text the following morning—the two found a way to rekindle the budding relationship months after their initial introduction. Their reunion took place in Los Angeles.

25-year-old Ruotolo was a member of the University of Southern California track and field team at the time. After etching her name into the record books at the University of Oregon, currently sitting at the No. 2 spot on the program’s all-time triple jump list, the athlete headed to Los Angeles to complete her collegiate career.

When Jaquez Jr. returned to the City of Angels—he played for the University of California, Los Angeles during his collegiate tenure—the NBA player invited Ruotolo out to “try to make it up to her.” She obliged, and the pair has been together ever since.

“The rest is history. We just hit it off, fell in love,” Jaquez Jr. explained. “She forgave me for my dark moment.”

Brink then asked the one question we were all thinking: “What were you drinking that night?” The answer was tequila.

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Bailey Colon
BAILEY COLON

Bailey Colón is a writer on the Breaking and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit, Colón worked at the National Basketball Association where she served as a founding member of the ‘Starting 5’ newsletter and led editorial operations for the NBA App and dotcom. Colón is particularly passionate about the impact of athletics on popular culture, fashion and media. The New England native has a bachelor’s degree from Marist College in journalism and political science.

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