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Basketball has become the family business of the Jaquez family.
The Chicago Sky selected Gabriela Jaquez fifth overall in the WNBA draft on Monday, making her the family’s second professional basketball player. Gabriela’s brother, Jaime Jaquez Jr., spent the last three seasons with the Miami Heat.
Jaquez Jr. posted a message on his Instagram Stories to congratulate his sister.
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UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected fifth overall by the Chicago Sky in the first round of the WNBA draft in New York on April 13, 2026. (Pamela Smith/AP Photo)
“Mom, we did it!” Jaquez Jr. wrote.
Jaquez was a standout player on the UCLA national team that won the title this season. Her performance in the championship game capped a stellar season, as she scored 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and five assists in UCLA’s 79-51 victory over South Carolina.
Jaquez, who spent all four years of his college career at UCLA, averaged 13.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 38 games this season. She shot an astonishing 53.9% from the field and an impressive 39% from 3-point range.
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UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez cuts the net after UCLA defeated South Carolina in the NCAA Final Four women’s national championship game in Phoenix, Ariz., April 5, 2026. (Rick Scuteri/AP Photo)
The 22-year-old was named to the 2025-26 NCAA All-Tournament Team, the 2025-26 All-Big Ten Team and the 2024-25 NCAA All-Region Team throughout her career.
Jaquez Jr. was unable to attend his sister’s big night as he prepares for the Heat’s NBA Play-in Tournament game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
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Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2026. (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)
The 25-year-old small forward had the best season of his young career with the Heat this year. In 75 games, all but one coming off the bench, Jaquez Jr. averaged a career-high 15.4 points, five rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Jaquez Jr. hopes to provide the Heat with a spark coming off the bench when they take on the Hornets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
