Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. taking his Mexican roots to Mexico City: ‘It’s going to be inspiring’
The Miami Heat is about to play a regular-season game in Mexico City for the third time in franchise history. But this trip will be a little different.
That’s because the Heat has a player with ties to Mexico on its roster, likely making it the overwhelming crowd favorite despite technically being the road team when it takes on the Washington Wizards on Saturday at Arena CDMX in the league’s annual Mexico City game (9:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network - Sun and NBA TV). Heat second-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is only the sixth person with Mexican citizenship to ever play in the NBA, joining a list that also includes Eduardo Najera, Horacio Llamas, Gustavo Ayon, Jorge Gutierrez and Juan Toscano-Anderson.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Jaquez, 23, said to the Miami Herald of the opportunity to play an NBA game in Mexico. “It’s going to be exciting. I’m excited, I know the team is, as well. We’re ready to go down and put on a great show, help grow the game of basketball as best as we can and hopefully inspire some fans along the way.”
Jaquez, who is the first player with Mexican citizenship to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, was born in the Los Angeles area to a mother of Norwegian descent and a father with Mexican roots. His father’s family is from Guadalajara, which is about a seven-hour drive from Mexico City.
Jaquez expects a lot of family — both from California and Mexico — to attend Saturday’s game against the Wizards.
“Man, on my dad’s side? Probably more than I can count,” Jaquez said when asked how much family he has living in Mexico. “There’s a lot of people. He’s got so many cousins and aunts and uncles, and they got kids and cousins. I don’t even know half of them.”
Even after just one full season in the NBA, Jaquez has already established himself as a basketball star in Mexico.
Jaquez was one of the NBA’s top rookies last season after the Heat selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, becoming just the seventh Heat player in franchise history to be selected for the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. Jaquez also became the first player with Mexican citizenship to be named to an NBA All-Rookie team.
Among the five NBA players with Mexican passports who came before Jaquez, Najera had the longest and most notable career. Najera averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in 619 regular-season games.
Llamas played in 28 regular-season NBA games, Gutierrez appeared in 47 regular-season NBA games, Ayon played in 135 regular-season NBA games and Toscano-Anderson has appeared in 202 regular-season NBA games.
That puts Jaquez on a track that could make him the best player in this small group, as he averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and one steal per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field as a rookie last season. While beginning his second NBA season in a sixth-man role, Jaquez has averaged 9.8 points, seven rebounds, 2.8 assists and one steal per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field through the Heat’s first four games this season.
“I have no idea, if I’m being honest,” Jaquez said when asked what his level of fame is in Mexico. “I’ve been down to Mexico before, I’ve been to airports and been recognized. I would say it’s a lot like [Miami]. Sometimes you get people who recognize you, sometimes you don’t. We’ll see what it’s like when we get down there. But I’m looking forward to seeing.”
Jaquez is also looking forward to being in Mexico during the same time as the country’s “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) celebration, which began Friday and ends Saturday. The Mexican holiday allows for families to welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.
According to an NBA press release, “The ‘Dia de los Muertos’ theme will be showcased as part of a variety of in-arena activations during the game, including a specially themed basketball court, and through the league’s fan engagement initiatives around the game.”
“I’ve never been in Mexico when that’s happened,” Jaquez said of being in Mexico for the holiday. “So I’m actually really excited to see how they all celebrate down in Mexico. I’ve never been down there to see it, so I’m excited to see how it all goes.”
Jaquez will be one of the stars of the NBA’s weekend in Mexico, as he’s scheduled for a signing session at the NBA Store in Mexico City and will be part of an NBA Cares basketball clinic before playing in Saturday’s game.
“I think my ultimate goal is to share the game I love with people around the world,” said Jaquez, who played for Mexico’s national team at the Pan American Games as a dual citizen when he was 19 years old before switching his international allegiance to become part of Team USA’s Select Team this past summer. “I know it speaks loud to people knowing that I have Mexican heritage and to be able to play down there in front of all those fans, especially those young kids. It’s going to be inspiring for them just to be able to see that. Hopefully we get a new generation, a new wave of great Mexican, Latino basketball players who want to follow this and pursue it as their passion.”
A new generation of Mexican basketball players who Jaquez hopes to spark. He might not speak fluent Spanish, but he plans to connect with a lot of people while in Mexico City.
“I’m going to try my best,” Jaquez said with a smile when asked if he’s ready to speak a lot of Spanish. “I’m going to give it my all. Sorry if I mess up. But yeah, I’m going to try.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat ruled out Kevin Love (personal reasons), Duncan Robinson (personal reasons), Josh Christopher (G League) and Keshad Johnson (G League) for Saturday’s game against the Wizards.
The Wizards will be without Saddiq Bey (left ACL surgery), Malcolm Brogdon (right thumb surgery) and Kyle Kuzma (right groin strain) against the Heat.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 9:03 AM.
