Jaime Jaquez reveals how he met his girlfriend during tequila-fueled NBA draft mess
Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. lived it after Miami selected him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — however, things took a turn for the worse when the tequila hit.
During an appearance Monday on the 'Straight to Cam' podcast, Jaquez recalled meeting his girlfriend, Dominique Ruotolo, in New York after the draft, and asking her to get pizza before begging her to take him back to his hotel because he drank too much tequila.
Advertisement
'So, I met her in New York on draft night. I was having the time of my life. My dream came true,' Jaquez said. 'And I bump into her, literally bump into her, like straight out of a movie. We start talking and chatting, and then as the night progresses, we were having a great time, talking and getting to know each other.
'And I'm like, 'Let's get out of here. Let's go get some pizza or something.' She was like, 'Okay, let's go.''
Advertisement
3 Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and his girlfriend Dominique Ruotolo.
Instagram/Dominique Ruotolo
The party came to a screeching halt once Jaquez hopped into his ride-share.
'As soon as I got in the Uber, and the loud music and the lights stopped going, I realized, 'Oh wow. I can't go get pizza. I need to go home,'' he recalled.
'She was like, 'What do you mean?' I was like, 'I'm not okay. Please take me home.'
Advertisement
'… She's like, 'Wait, what do you mean? You're taking me to your hotel? Who are you? I don't know you,' and I said, 'Please, just take me home.''
3 Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. recalled meeting his girlfriend Dominique Ruotolo in New York after the 2023 NBA draft during an appearance on the 'Straight to Cam' podcast, August 4, 2025.
YouTube/Straight to Cam
Ruotolo, a model with Wilhelmina Miami, helped Jaquez get back to his hotel room, where his brother was sleeping.
'She ends up taking me to my hotel. She takes me up to my room, my brother is asleep and he's like, 'What is going on?' And I end up making a beeline for the bathroom,' Jaquez said.
Advertisement
'You guys can put the story together from there. I ended up dying, and she was like, 'What the hell?''
Jaquez explained that his friend Justin, who walked in while he was sick on the bathroom floor, got Ruotolo's phone number for him.
3 Jaime Jaquez Jr. poses for a photo after being selected by the Miami Heat during the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22, 2023 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
NBAE via Getty Images
'She was like, 'Yeah, I gotta leave. I don't know who this guy is. Thanks, but no thanks.' I'm like, 'Alright, cool,'' he recounted.
'So I texted her the next morning, like, 'Hey, I'm very sorry. Thank you so much for helping me.'
'She replied, 'Of course. No problem. It happens to the best of us.''
After three months had passed, Jaquez invited Ruotolo to hang out with him and his friends in Los Angeles. Ruotolo was a track and field standout at USC.
Advertisement
'After that, we didn't talk for about three months. I'm living my life, she's living hers,' Jaquez said. 'Then I came back to L.A., and one night, we were going out with friends. My roommate says, 'Yo, you should invite that girl from New York. Didn't she go to USC?'
'I was like, 'Yeah, she did.' So I hit her up, 'Hey, can I make it up to you? We're going out tonight. Bring whoever you want.' She came, brought her friends, and the rest is history. We hit it off that night. Fell in love so quick.
'She forgave me for my dark moment. And yeah, we hit it off.'
Ruotolo, who specialized in the triple jump, transferred from the University of Oregon to USC, where she earned All-American honors and Pac-12 titles.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals snap 5-game losing streak with 8-3 win over Marlins
MIAMI (AP) — Alec Burleson went 3 for 4, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals ended their five-game losing streak with an 8-3 win against the Miami Marlins on Monday night. Miami right fielder Dane Myers was unable to make a routine catch at the warning track in the seventh, which put a runner in scoring position for the Cardinals. Burleson's RBI single sent Iván Herrera home for a 4-3 lead. St. Louis added another run on a single by Pedro Pagés. The Marlins were undone by two errors, three unearned runs, four wild pitches and five walks allowed. Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez had a pitch get behind him, allowing Garrett Hampson to score. Ramírez has a league-leading 11 passed balls this year. On the next pitch, Nolan Gorman hit a two-run homer to make it 8-3. Cardinals reliever Matt Svanson (2-0) pitched two innings, allowing one hit and one strikeout for the win. Miami scored in the first on a sacrifice fly from Jakob Marslee, who also had an RBI double in the sixth that tied it 3-all. Eric Wagaman hit a solo homer in the fourth. Marlins reliever Lake Bachar (5-1) allowed four hits in two innings. Miami has lost four of five and eight of 10. Key moment The Marlins had a runner in scoring position in the sixth. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras caught a line drive and tagged the runner diving back to the bag for a double play, keeping the game tied at 3. Key stat Eury Pérez became the first pitcher in Miami Marlins history to throw four wild pitches in a game. Up next The teams meet again Tuesday night. Edward Cabrera (6-6, 3.34 ERA) starts for the Marlins against Michael McGreevy (4-2, 4.41). ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
B.J. Armstrong reveals why it was hard leaving the Bulls for the Warriors: "I learned very quickly the NBA is much different
B.J. Armstrong reveals why it was hard leaving the Bulls for the Warriors: "I learned very quickly the NBA is much different originally appeared on Basketball Network. B.J. Armstrong was one lucky player. He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 1989 NBA Draft after a standout career at Iowa. However, after suffering a broken hand during one of the pre-draft workouts, Armstrong slipped outside the lottery spots. B.J. ended up getting drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 18th overall pick and became one of the final pieces of the Bulls' championship puzzle. He was part of Chicago's first three-peat and earned an All-Star spot in 1994. However, after his time ran out in the Windy City, Armstrong realized that life elsewhere in the league wasn't as easy. "When I got traded, I'd only known the Bulls. So I didn't know any other system of play other than what I learned there in Chicago. And I learned very quickly that the NBA is much different, when I left Chicago," said Armstrong on former teammate Bill Cartwright's podcast. The Bulls left Armstrong unprotected in the 1995 Expansion Draft Actually, the Bulls did not trade Armstrong. Because Michael Jordan was coming back in 1995 and Chicago was eyeing to add Dennis Rodman, they needed to free up cap space. And so, since B.J. was coming off an All-Star season in 1995, they felt they could no longer afford him, so the Bulls left him unprotected in the 1995 Expansion Draft, where he easily became the No.1 overall pick. However, because he did not want to play for the Raptors, Toronto traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Victor Alexander, Carlos Rogers, and the draft rights to Michael McDonald, Martin Lewis, and Dwyane Whitfield. In the Bay, B.J. had teammates like Latrell Sprewell, Joe Smith, Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, Rony Seikaly, and Kevin Willis, who were all double-digit scorers during the 1995-96 season when Armstrong arrived. However, Golden State won only 36 games and missed the playoffs. The following year, the Dubs were worse, going 30-52 during the 1996-97 campaign. Playing with MJ's Bulls was special After two seasons in Golden State, B.J. was traded to the Charlotte Hornets during the 1997-98 season. Armstrong also played for the Orlando Magic before finishing his career where it started — in Chicago. However, the point guard never got to play in another NBA Finals and admitted that his first stint with the Bulls was very special. "I really didn't know what to expect. But I knew the game was different. We had some good players. We had some injuries. I remember Tex would say this, 'Wining covers a multitude of things'. And that's when I really learned how special those moments were in Chicago, because in Chicago, all I knew was that I was preparing to win games. But it's really hard to win this league, so it wasn't eye-opening, but I had a deeper appreciation when I played and went to other places to play," he added. MJ's Bulls were one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. They won six NBA championships during a six-year period from 1991-1998. You could argue that they could have won more if MJ hadn't left for baseball in 1993 and if they had not broken up after "The Last Dance." Armstrong was blessed to be a part of the first three.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka compared Adou Thiero to premier 3-and-D wing
The Los Angeles Lakers have made some key additions this summer that have made their roster look at least a little better than it was when they lost in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. They added center Deandre Ayton in order to significantly plug what was a huge hole at the 5 spot, and they also signed emerging 3-point sniper Jake LaRavia and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. In late June, the Lakers made a couple of moves in order to move up in the draft and snag Adou Thiero with the No. 36 pick. Thiero, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward out of the University of Arkansas, is known for his ability to attack the basket off the dribble and his high-level athleticism. He also has the ability to become an excellent defender, but his outside shooting needs lots of work. Still, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka didn't hesitate to compare Thiero to OG Anunoby, one of the NBA's best 3-and-D players. 'Obviously OG is an incredible player that's done so much in the league. I don't want to put pressure on anyone to become someone else, but that archetype is definitely it. He's got the 6'7″ frame, he's incredibly explosive, I think he's a developing shooter, he's a lob catcher. I think on the other side of the ball, he's gonna be an elite defender. He has all the tools there. JJ Redick and I actually hosted him in our building a couple weeks ago, took him to lunch and really got to know his character. That's such an important part of the equation and he's a great young man and hungry to get better and learn and grow and we feel like we have a great player development staff here. Super excited about all that.' Anunoby started off his career by contributing off the bench when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship in his second season. He blossomed a couple of years later, and he is now a major part of a New York Knicks squad that has become a legitimate championship contender. Thiero just happened to name Anunoby as a player he's looking to learn from. John Calipari, who coached him in college, implied that the teams that passed on him in the draft will end up regretting that decision. The 21-year-old missed summer league last month due to a knee injury he sustained several months ago. However, he reportedly started working out at the Lakers' facility recently and is expected to be ready for training camp.
