From Courtside to Center Stage: Partners of the NBA
These leading ladies are baller brides and slam-dunk sweethearts. Looking effortlessly chic while supporting their partners is no easy task; consequently, they, too, are MVPs, and not just of love. Here are some of the WAGs that have caught our attention recently!
Dominique Ruotolo
Dominique and Jamie Sharing Their Love on Her Instagram (Instagram)
Dominique Ruotolo is Miami Heat's Jamie Jaquez Jr.’s girlfriend. Jamie is a small forward at the not-so-small height of 6”6’. He is from Camarillo, California, played basketball at UCLA, and is both of Norwegian and Mexican descent. While his professional basketball career has been filled with ups and downs, he has played in 121 games for the Heat.
Dominique is likewise an athlete. Coming from Switzerland, France, and Cameroon, she ultimately graduated high school in Santa Ana, California. She then went to the University of Oregon, where she competed in the long jump, won the 2021 Pac-12 triple jump title, and took ninth at nationals. A year later, she placed seventh at nationals, and then at the 2023 Pac-12 conference, she secured a fifth-place podium. Dominique is the ultimate it-girl with an Instagram aesthetic to die for, a Free People Movement partnership, and an NBA bae. We all want to be in her shoes…or rather her spikes.
The couple’s shared experiences of being collegiate athletes have been a large part of their relationship. While we don’t know exactly when the couple began dating, we do know they were together at Offset’s birthday party in December of 2023. Their first purposeful public appearance was at the 14th Annual Miami Heat Gala. And at the most recent Heat Gala, Dominique devoured trivia on her balling boyfriend.
Kiarra Morrison
Kiara and DeMar pre-game (Getty Images)
Kiarra Morrison is the slam dunk spouse of the Sacramento Kings DeMar DeRozan. Demar grew up in Compton, California, and then went on to play for the Trojans at the University of California. Facing challenges early on, he channeled his hardships into hard work, and we can see that in his career success. He advocates mental health awareness in the NBA and sports in general. Kiarra is also an advocate. She is seen cheering on her husband courtside and has rubbed this trait off onto their eldest daughter. While Demar played for the Chicago Bulls two years ago, his daughter helped achieve the team's win against the Toronto Raptors. She cleverly screamed during the Raptors free throw, throwing them off their game, and they missed the basket. She was hilariously making headlines as a nine-year-old!
Kiara and Her Babies (@ki_mo/ Instagram.com)
The family’s passion for each other and the well-being of athletes doesn't stop there. Kiarra’s passion for the gram has us all wanting more. She is a well-known influencer who shows the BTS of their family through Instagram. She has her 18.7k fans locked in with her bold and stunning statement outfits–and we can’t wait to see them on the court this season.
Hailey Summers
The Fashionable Forward Duo: Hailey and Shai (Shai/Instagram)
Hailey Summers is only one half of the Canadian couple; the other half belongs to Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai is from Toronto but moved internationally to play basketball in college in the States for the University of Kentucky. Helping score his Canadian national team a spot in the 2024 Paris Games, Shai is a Toronto threat to the other players on the court. He is leading the league in scoring with an average of 32.5 points per game. While not captivating on the court like her boyfriend, Hailey Summers is passionate on the pitch. Previously a defender on the University of Albany soccer team, she is a sports star.
From their high school days to the present, these two have stayed strong. Challenged by long distance, the couple remains strong today. This past Valentine's Day was their first anniversary. Their son Ares Alexander’s first birthday is coming up on April 25th.
Shashana Sabonis
Posing in Front of Ones By Sabonis (@dsabonis11/Instagram)
Shashana Sabonis is the queen to Sacramento Kings player Domantas Sobonis. Portland-born Domantas is a Lithuanian-American, and standing at a powerful 6”10, it’s no coincidence he plays power forward and center. After graduating from Gonzaga University, he then went on to play for Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-2017) and then for the Indiana Pacers (2017-2022) before settling down with the Kings. Currently, he is leading the NBA with 14.6 rebounds per game. Shashana is leading the game of balancing motherhood, being a businesswoman, and cheerleading for her husband. The couple has two toddlers, Tiger and Elle, as well as a wine label, Ones by Sabonis. Before Tiger was born in 2022, Shashana was a Lakers Girl and even appeared on Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, where she was runner-up.
Celebrating Baby Elle’s First Birthday (@dsabonis11/Instagram)
The couple met at Catch, a restaurant in Los Angeles, and they must have caught feelings because, in 2019, they became official to the world. Soon after, they became engaged and then were hitched on the French Riviera in 2021. Domantas showed his love to Shashana as he embraced her and educated himself on her religion, Judaism, and starting in 2023, he began to convert to the religion.
Each of these hoop dreams and power teams all have some things in common: their courtside support, athleticism, their radiating smiles, and their full-court love. Not only are these balling boos winning on the court, but they are winning off the court too.