“Juan Wick”, “Mexican Jesus”: Fans go wild as Jaime Jaquez Jr nails soccer-basketball trick shot with ease in warm-ups

Jaime Jaquez Jr. turned a basketball into a soccer ball during the shootaround.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. turned a basketball into a soccer ball during the shootaround.

Mexico is known for having a rich tradition in soccer. So it's not surprising that Jaime Jaquez Jr. brought some soccer fun to his shootaround before the Miami Heat's game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

The NBA's Instagram page posted a video of Jaquez juggling the basketball using his feet before converting a long 3-pointer from almost the Chase Center's halfcourt.

Some fans reacted to the play in mixed ways. A couple of them looked at Jaquez's appearance. One called him "Mexican Jesus" for his resemblance to the images frequently used to depict Jesus Christ.

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Another looked at Jaquez's resemblance to Keanu Reeves' appearance in the John Wick saga, and the fan called Jaquez "Juan Wick.

One fan recalled that Luka Doncic did something similar during a shootaround by juggling the basketball a la soccer, so on watching Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s stunt, he asked in the comment section:

"Mexicano Luka?"

Some fans were impressed by Jaquez's trick shot and more importantly, his recent form, believing he could be the Rookie of the Year.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. has moved to third place in the latest update of NBA.com's Rookie Ladder, just below top rookie contenders Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

Here are some of the top comments:

Some of the comments after they saw Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s trick shot.
Some of the comments after they saw Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s trick shot.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues impressive Christmas

The Christmas season has been a good one for Jaime Jaquez Jr., as he has become a key player for the Miami Heat.

On Thursday night, he had another solid outing with 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal, helping the Miami Heat take down the Golden State Warriors, 114-102. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Jamal Cain, though, turned out to be the lucky charm for the Miami Heat as he put up 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals off the bench. Bam Adebayo also had 17 points along with 11 rebounds and four assists.

With Jimmy Butler sitting out, Haywood Highsmith got the start for the Heat but only finished with three points and one steal.

Despite what seemed like a balanced offense for the Golden State Warriors that saw eight players finishing in double figures, their two main men, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, struggled, as they were held to only 13 points each.

Warriors Nation! You can check out the latest Golden State Warriors Schedule and dive into the Warriors Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Bhargav
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