Nikki Spoelstra, ex-wife of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, has her name caught in rumors saying she is involved in a physical relationship with Heat wing player Jaime Jaquez Jr. The speculations began after Nikki posted an Instagram reel where she jokingly said she preferred dating men under 25 years of age “they’re easier to manipulate.”
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While Nikki made it clear that she made the post in jest, fans pointed out her frequent interaction with the 24-year-old Jaquez’s Instagram posts, leading to the speculations.
The 38-year-old former Heat dancer cleared the air in another Instagram reel she posted, saying in the nearly two-minute-long video that the rumors were “fabricated nonsense.”
“A rumor. A f**king story that is 100% flat out not true,” Erik Spoelstra’s ex-wife said.
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A troll escalated the issue when he asked Nikki about her conversation with Jaquez’ girlfriend and his mother.
“Am I tripping? Or did you say why you talked [to] his mom and girlfriend? Did I miss that?” Instagram user “@dad_wells” commented.
“@dad_wells I said wtf I said babe,” Nikki replied.
Erik Spoelstra’s ex reacts to “gold digger” allegations
In 2012, nearly four years after she ended her stint as a dancer for the Miami Heat, Nikki Sapp began dating Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The two married in 2016 and went on to have three children over the next six years. Their marriage ended in 2023, and they stated that they separated amicably.
Following their separation, Nikki became a target of online trolls who labeled her as a “gold digger.” In an interview with the Miami Herald on March 17, Nikki addressed all the criticisms.

“People are very quick to label women gold diggers. Like, ‘Oh, if she is with a successful person, she must be in it for the money.’ Do you really think that’s all a husband brings to the table? In the end, no one really knows what happened.”
After the split, Spoelstra signed an eight-year, $120 million contract extension, which was the largest deal ever for an NBA coach.

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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.