Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was so excited to talk about how proud he is of his little sister Gabriela after she was drafted with the No. 5 pick by the Sky in Monday night’s WNBA draft.
Since Jaquez was preparing for Tuesday night’s Heat–Hornets play-in tournament game, he wasn’t able to attend the draft in New York City to support his sister in person. He did FaceTime his family after WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called Jaquez’s name. Jaquez was one of six UCLA stars to be selected on Monday night, setting a new record for the most players from one program being drafted on the same night.
The Miami star knows what it’s like to be drafted in the first round (he was selected 18th in the 2023 NBA draft), but he can’t fully understand the month his little sister’s been experiencing. The new WNBA rookie is coming off a national title win with UCLA last week, which the NBA star got to attend. Last Wednesday, the Bruins and their fans celebrated the championship win on campus with a rally. Less than a week later, Jaquez became a top-five pick in the WNBA. Her basketball dreams are all coming true in a matter of weeks.
Jaquez Jr. spoke to reporters on Tuesday before the play-in game and gushed about how excited he is for his sister achieving all these incredible feats.
“Just really so proud of her,” Jaquez said. “Amazing for the UCLA women’s team—I mean [five] in the first round is pretty incredible. Overall it’s an amazing moment.”
He was then jokingly asked whether the younger Jaquez was better than him since she was selected earlier in the draft. Jaquez responded in a perfect way.
“I mean, if that’s how you want to put it out, she’ll take it,” Jaquez responded. “She’s got the Natty, she got drafted top five. I can’t name another person who’s having a better week than her right now.”
As for what Jaquez told his sister on the phone after she was drafted, here’s what he said.
“I just told her how proud I was, and how this is such an amazing moment, and that Chicago’s beautiful in the summertime.”
Since being drafted by the Heat in 2023, Jaquez continues to improve each season as a key bench player for the Miami squad. This season, Jaquez averaged career highs with 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
As for his sister, she just completed her fourth and final year at UCLA. The forward started in all 38 games for the Bruins on their championship run, averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. In UCLA’s 79–51 championship win over South Carolina on April 5, Jaquez scored a team-high 21 points and recorded 10 rebounds and five assists. Posting a double-double while winning a national title is an impressive feat.
Now she’ll take her talents to Chicago. The Sky open their 2026 season on Saturday, May 9 against the new expansion team, the Portland Fire. You can expect her brother to be supporting her either in the stands or from afar this season.
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