On Christmas Day in 2023, Jaime Jaquez Jr. gave Miami Heat fans a glimpse of what they might have in their hands. The rookie exploded for 31 points and 10 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers, becoming just the fifth rookie in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds on Christmas Day.

Erik Spoelstra’s reaction afterward made the performance even more interesting.

“I don’t think I called one play for him tonight.”

Jaquez had barely been in the NBA for two months, yet Miami’s coach already trusted him enough to let him play his game. Nearly three years later, that trust has turned into something else entirely. A viral video from Milwaukee involving Jaquez and his dog has brought him back into the conversation, and some Heat fans are using the moment to make one thing clear: they still miss him.

“Out of all the players the Heat traded away, he’s gonna be the one I miss the most,” one X user, Big Protein, wrote.

That reaction was not about a box score or a playoff game. It came after a video that has little to do with basketball at all. Yet for some Miami supporters, seeing Jaquez again was enough to reopen a chapter they apparently were not ready to close.

The Jaquez-Miami Connection Started Earlier Than Most Expected

Jaquez arrived in Miami as the 18th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after four years at UCLA. Rather than easing him into the NBA, the Heat quickly gave him reasons to believe he belonged.

During his NBA debut against the Detroit Pistons on October 25, 2023, Spoelstra called a play specifically for Jaquez while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were on the bench. The play was one Jaquez recognized from his college days.

“I was like, ‘Oh shit, he’s running a play for me.’”

It was a small moment, but it showed how quickly Jaquez was gaining the trust of Miami’s coaching staff.

Jimmy Butler saw something similar in him.

“He just plays to win. He makes all the right plays. He kind of plays like a vet. He knows where the ball has to go and he’s confident in his abilities.”

That trust only grew from there.

On Christmas Day, Jaquez put together the biggest performance of his young career to that point. His 31 points and 10 rebounds against Philadelphia put him alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Walt Bellamy and Patrick Ewing as the only rookies in NBA history to reach those numbers on Christmas Day.

For Miami, the rookie was quickly becoming much more than a first-round pick.

And there was another reason he seemed to fit.

Jaquez Looked Like He Belonged in Miami

Jaquez’s game had an old-school feel to it, but the way he talked about basketball made it clear that his approach was not simply about putting up numbers.

“When you’re in an empty gym, or you’re at the park by yourself, that’s the canvas and, you and the ball, you’re the paint brush. You’re just trying to make something beautiful happen. It’s like dance, it’s like jazz music. It’s very cultural. So you make it look good, you feel good, you play good. So it all goes hand in hand.”

Spoelstra also appreciated what Jaquez had brought with him from UCLA.

“Right now, if you’re not a No. 1 option as a freshman and you’re a five-star recruit, you’re either transferring or you’re declaring. You’re not really developing any kind of grit or learning a role or embracing a role the way Jaime did. He had a different kind of path that we respect.”

That relationship between player and organization kept growing.

By his third season, Jaquez had gone from promising rookie to one of Miami’s most dependable bench pieces. Then came the season that changed his standing around the league.

His Best Season Came Right Before Miami Let Him Go

Jaquez played 75 games in 2025-26 and averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He shot 50.7% from the field and scored 1,152 points, putting together the best offensive season of his young career.

He also came within one spot of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Jaquez finished second with 331 voting points and 34 first-place votes, behind Keldon Johnson.

So the timing of his departure was difficult for anyone who had followed his development in Miami.

He was not leaving after falling out of the rotation.

He was not leaving after a disappointing season.

He was leaving immediately after putting together his best NBA campaign.

Then Miami made the blockbuster move for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Heat acquired Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, while Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and multiple draft assets.

Jaquez was part of the price Miami paid for one of the biggest stars in the NBA.

And he understood what the trade meant.

That did not make leaving any easier.

Jaquez Never Hid How Much Leaving Miami Hurt

When Jaquez spoke publicly after the trade, he did not try to pretend that leaving Miami was just another part of the business.

“It was definitely devastating for sure. I love Miami. I love this city. It really felt like home to me.”

That quote explains why the reaction from Heat fans has lasted beyond the day of the trade.

Jaquez had spent his entire NBA career in Miami. He had built his reputation there, developed under Spoelstra and become part of a team that had trusted him from the moment he arrived.

And even before the trade became official, he knew something was coming.

He later explained how he tried to get his mind off it.

“I knew it was going to happen that day. I had to pick up my girlfriend from the airport, so I stopped by my friends’ house and said, ‘Let’s just go hoop’ to get my mind off things.”

That was the end of one chapter.

The next one began in Milwaukee.

But then the viral video brought Jaquez back into the spotlight.

The Milwaukee Video Has Its Own Complicated Story

The footage shows Jaquez near the entrance or patio area of a Milwaukee dining establishment with a dog. A brief verbal interaction takes place between Jaquez and an employee associated with the establishment.

Online, some people claimed Jaquez was asked to leave because of the dog.

But the footage does not clearly establish everything that happened.

The available video lacks clear ambient audio, and there is no confirmed public statement from Jaquez, his representatives or the restaurant explaining the encounter. There is also no verified police report or other primary documentation establishing that Jaquez was aggressively removed or formally banned.

Even the restaurant’s identity and the exact date of the recording have not been established.

There is some relevant context around Wisconsin’s rules, though. State regulations generally prohibit domestic animals from indoor dining areas while allowing pet dogs in certain outdoor dining patios. Recognized service animals are treated differently.

That explains why the clip sparked a debate, but it does not answer every question about this particular encounter.

And that is where the reactions began to split.

Some People Saw a Restaurant Problem. Others Saw an NBA Star With His Dog.

One commenter had little sympathy for Jaquez’s decision, writing:

“Must be out of your damn mind bringing a dog to a fucking restaurant. Dogs don’t need to be everywhere bro,”

Another agreed with the criticism:

“no i totally agree why are you taking your dog to an indoor restaurant.”

But the argument did not end there.

Someone on the other side pushed back against the criticism, writing:

“Keep shaming people who bring their dogs into a restaurant. The carnage must end.”

The disagreement was clearly about the restaurant situation.

But among Heat fans, the conversation quickly became something else.

They were not simply debating whether Jaquez should have brought his dog inside.

They were remembering the player Miami had just lost.

And one fan’s reaction captured that feeling better than anything else.

“Out of all the players the Heat traded away, he’s gonna be the one I miss the most.”

That was followed by an even bigger idea.

Bobo did not just say he missed Jaquez. He wanted the Heat to undo the separation.

“We gottta get him back next year”

For a player who had only recently arrived in Milwaukee, that was a striking reaction.

But Mason took it one step further.

“Jaime is welcome to come back as soon as he’s eligible.”

Then came perhaps the simplest message of all.

“He can come back to Miami whenever he wants,” Charizard Master wrote.

Four different reactions, but they all pointed in the same direction.

The restaurant video may have started the conversation, but the Heat nostalgia took it somewhere else entirely.

Miami Has Moved On. Some Heat Fans Clearly Haven’t.

The basketball reality is simple.

Jaquez is now a Buck.

Miami made its blockbuster move for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jaquez is beginning the next stage of his career in Milwaukee.

But his departure came after three seasons in which he became a trusted part of Miami’s rotation, earned the respect of Spoelstra and his teammates, produced a 31-point, 10-rebound Christmas Day performance as a rookie and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in his third season.

Then he was gone.

Jaquez himself called the move “devastating” and said Miami “really felt like home.”

So perhaps the most interesting part of the viral restaurant video was never the restaurant argument at all.

It was what happened around it.

A player who had already moved on to a new team suddenly appeared in front of the same fan base that had watched him grow from a rookie into one of Miami’s most productive young players.

And instead of simply arguing about what Jaquez did with his dog, some Heat supporters started talking about getting him back.

“We gottta get him back next year.”

“Jaime is welcome to come back as soon as he’s eligible.”

“He can come back to Miami whenever he wants.”

Jaquez left South Beach for one of the biggest trades in the league.

But judging by those reactions, leaving Miami did not mean leaving all of Miami behind.