Imago
Credits – Imago, Imagn
Imago
Credits – Imago, Imagn
Kiki Rice has just ended her basketball season on a high note, winning an NCAA championship with the UCLA Bruins. Her title run perfectly mirrors what her boyfriend, Cason Wallace, achieved last season when he won the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s rare to see a young couple dominating basketball at the highest levels at the exact same time.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Wallace and Rice have been going strong since they met as pre-teenagers and are now the new power couple. So how did their love blossom over the years? Let’s find out.
Who is Kiki Rice’s boyfriend, Cason Wallace?
Cason Wallace is an NBA guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wallace was drafted 10th overall in 2023 after one season at Kentucky. He made a name for himself as a lockdown defender at Kentucky before the Thunder drafted him in 2023. Beyond his basketball resume and his 2025 NBA ring, fans know him best as Kiki’s loudest cheerleader on the sidelines.
Top Stories
Are Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace in a relationship?
Yes, Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace are in a confirmed relationship. Multiple reports in 2025–2026 show that the UCLA star and the Oklahoma City Thunder guard publicly acknowledged their relationship, with Wallace celebrating Rice’s NCAA championship win and Rice openly supporting Wallace at Thunder games.
Kiki also confessed about their relationship on WagTalk, which hard-launched their relationship journey.
How did Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace meet?
Kiki and Cason met each other back in 2018 at the Jr. NBA World Championship in Orlando. They were teenagers, aged 13 and 14, and since then have stayed in touch through their rise as top high school prospects. As per reports, they began dating in 2024. It was then that their relationship became common knowledge after Wallace’s NBA championship run, when they appeared together in an interview on WAG Talk.
When did Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace start dating?
The relationship between Kiki and Cason became public in June 2025, shortly after Wallace won the NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So it is expected that they started dating around that time or probably sometime before that.
What makes Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace’s love story unique?
Few love stories have a more beautiful storyline than what these two basketball stars had. Having crossed paths as youngsters in Orlando, and from there it just flourished into something so extraordinary that it has seldom had such a beautiful ending.
Both have been standout players in their own right. Since then, they have gone strong while achieving individual milestones. Kiki played for Sidwell Friends School and won multiple accomplishments -Gatorade National Player of the Year (2022), Morgan Wootten Award, and Naismith Prep Player of the Year- and upped her game in college even further under Cori Close, winning the NCAA championship this year.
View this post on Instagram
Just a year after Cason’s NBA team won the championship in 2025. The defensive specialist managed to suppress the opposition from scoring and was an important character behind their title run. His talent while playing at Kentucky was noticed, which got him drafted in the first season itself.
While their respective careers were blooming, their fondness for each other didn’t lag. Time and again, the love birds were seen making public appearances, be it the ESPY’s or a Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics game, and that showed that this wasn’t just a fling.
How do Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace support each other’s careers?
Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace have a strong and loving relationship, and they’ve always tried to support each other in terms of their careers. Just after winning the NCAA championship with UCLA, Rice attended multiple Oklahoma City Thunder games to support Wallace during the NBA season. She also recently joined ESPN’s NBA Today in April 2026, participating in a lighthearted segment about Wallace, showing her engagement with his NBA career.
Whenever Wallace has been on the court for Oklahoma, Rice has been vocal, cheering for her “man” on the court.
But Cason also does the same when he sees his girl take center stage. Wallace arrived at Paycom Center wearing a black t-shirt featuring Rice’s photo in her UCLA jersey, celebrating her NCAA championship win. Cason also posted “Welcome to the club” on Instagram after Rice’s title, referencing his own 2025 NBA championship and welcoming her into the circle of champions.
Wallace was undoubtedly quite proud of the way his “girl” was making definitive statements in the competitive world of basketball and was seen as a constant presence around her.
Kiki Rice and Cason Wallace’s love shows how two players from the same world have each found individual success while also balancing their romantic lives. Their love is devoid of any ego or vanity, and each finds pleasure in the other’s success, and that is a win-win in today’s world, where things are getting more and more complicated with relationships, especially if you allow the limelight to dictate terms.
