The story of Jaime Jáquez Jr., the Mexican rookie who erases LeBron James from the court and amazes the NBA

The biggest dream that every young basketball player has from the moment he hits his first shots is to reach the Olympus of basketball, the NBA. Once that step has been overcome, the next step would be to compete with the greatest exponents of the sport. Next Level? Mark a legend. Further? Play the game of your life against one of the living legends. It seems like a lot, but that’s what happened to the Mexican Jaime Jaquez Jr. who had the luxury (and pleasure) of erasing from the field none other than Lebron James. That’s right, he achieved the highest aspiration of many who remained in the attempt.

If there had been the possibility of going back in time, just six months, perhaps few would have trusted that practically unknown boy, originally from the UCLA (California) collegiate team and chosen in position number 18 in the draft by Miami Heathe would end up being one of the candidates to win the best young player of the year award.

This is what happened, despite the statistics being against him. The reason? There are few players who manage to establish themselves in the NBA 22 years old -age considered high for a young person-, and with more than two seasons played in the university championship. But the Mexican forward didn’t need time to adapt.

In his first season in high-flying basketball, the boy nicknamed “Triple J” He continues to show a performance that seems to have no ceiling. He even managed to be chosen as the best rookie player of the month of November. Although what was shown on Wednesday evening at the Crypto.com Arena (Lakers stadium) can hardly be surpassed.

JJJ not only shined in the Miami Heat’s 110-96 win over the Lakers, but why forced the greatest figure and scorer in NBA history to play one of the worst games of the season. An achievement that few can boast of.

Additionally, the victory allowed Florida to move up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 20-14 record. At the same time, it made it possible to aggravate the crisis of the Lakers, who find themselves in tenth place in the West, on the verge of being out of the play-offs with a shaky 17-18 record.

To put Jázquez’s high-level performance into context, the 33 games he played this season were enough for his coach Erik Spoelstra to include him in the starting five, with the special mission of playing one-on-one against LeBron. And Jaime did it as if he had years of NBA under his belt. To the point that he was ultimately the player who added the most minutes in the game, with 39:03.

Their magical night was marked by an amazing game on both sides of the painting. Why not only led to LeBron missing 12 of his 18 field goalsbut also He contributed 16 points and eight assists for the Heat. Even in many of these offensives, the Lakers’ “23” failed to catch his Mexican opponent.

The 20,000 fans who filled the stadium to witness one of their leader’s many great performances returned home with the feeling of having seen the shine of a young man who seems only a matter of time before he wins the right to play on the floor of American basketball .

This is what the specialists think, who agree that Triple J He is a serious candidate to win the rookie player of the year award.. “He is not the typical rookie, he seems like a proven veteran,” says the North American press.

It’s difficult, of course. Even more so when another of the contenders for the distinction is Victor Wembanyama, the 2.20 meter tall giant who is the best hope for the weak San Antonio Spurs. At the moment, the 20-year-old Frenchman is positioned as the favourite.

However, there is still a long way to go to define the best of the season. Meanwhile, Jaime Jr. is starting to be on everyone’s lips, with ever greater frequency. Especially not only for how he faced LeBron, but for the hellish coverage he exerted on a Jalen Wood-Schifino attack when it seemed inevitable that he would score from the painted area.

His great performances lead his coach to consider him a multifunctional player who can be useful to the team in more than one sector of the pitch. Therefore, Miami Heat fans continue to be excited about him on the court and aspire to stay in the NBA after an 11-year drought.

Dominique Ruotolo, Tripple J’s new girlfriend

Little by little, Tripple J begins to enjoy the honey of fame that the NBA offers. The charismatic Mexican seems to have gotten used to the flashes. He proved it in mid-December, when he was present at a party for rapper Offset with unexpected company.

Jáquez surprised when he arrived hand in hand Domenico Ruotoloa specialized field athlete at the University of California.

This appearance also made it clear that the Heat player ended his relationship with Ciera Muscarella, his ex-girlfriend with whom he had been with since he was 15 years old, when they both went to high school together.

Months pass and the name of Javier Jáquez Jr. grows stronger in the world of the NBA. “The journey has begun”, he wrote in October through his social networks, before making his debut with the Miami Heat. And what a way to do it.