It has been a packed summer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A title, a wedding, new contracts, and well, a brand new relationship for one of OKC’s youngest stars, Cason Wallace. The 21-year-old was recently spotted courtside at a WNBA matchup between the Dallas Wings and the Washington Mystics, not alone, but alongside rising UCLA star and girlfriend, Kiki Rice. The couple, who have known each other since their early teens, had kept their relationship mostly private. Until recently.
Over the past month, they’ve made multiple public appearances, from attending Game 7 of the NBA Finals together to walking the red carpet at the 2025 ESPYs. The most recent one? It came at the College Park Center on August 10, at the Dallas Wings-New York Liberty game. Sitting courtside, Rice was seen in a sky-blue hoodie and crisp white Air Force 1s, and Wallace in all-black with the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cat.” Their presence at the game, which featured both Paige Bueckers and former USC standout Kiki Iriafen, didn’t go unnoticed.
The Dallas Wings’ official Instagram posted a courtside snap of the couple with the caption: “Omg it’s Kiki Rice & Cason Wallace .” However, it was a response from Wallace’s teammate, big man Isaiah Hartenstein, that took the cake. Tagging Wallace, he added a playful caption, “my son growing up .” The post, lighthearted but affectionate, gave fans a rare glimpse into the Thunder’s internal dynamics, where veterans like Hartenstein are clearly rooting for the younger stars both on and off the court.
And why not? The season may have ended with OKC winning the championship, but it was still a taxing campaign. Wallace not only came back with a ring, but also earned it, seeing his role increase from his rookie season. Wallace averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 68 total appearances, averaging more than 27 minutes per game. While the numbers did take a hit during the postseason, he was still an important presence off the bench, and is now in the middle of a well-earned offseason.
Hence, Hartenstein will hardly be the only OKC stakeholder who will be delighted to see that the couple are now able to make time for consistent getaways. The timing of the College Park Center appearance, however, is even more significant. After all, it was only this weekend that the Thunder had another major event: Alex Caruso’s wedding.
OKC Thunder’s top duo absent from the Caruso wedding
On Saturday, August 9, the veteran guard Alex Caruso tied the knot with longtime partner Haleigh Broucher in a ceremony held in Houston, Texas. Almost the entire OKC roster was present, from Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, Branden Carlson, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, to Isaiah Hartenstein. The players flashed their championship rings in photos, creating what looked like a mini-reunion of the title squad.
Social media lit up with group shots, celebratory toasts, and off-court drip. Yet, two of the biggest names were notably missing from every post: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
While Caruso’s wedding became a gathering for most of the Thunder’s core, SGA and JDub were on separate missions. Williams was in Shanghai for an Adidas promotional tour that included his signature JDub edition of the Harden Vol. 9 sneaker. Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, was in Hamilton, Ontario, where the city officially honored him with SGA Day and presented him a key to the city.
Hence, while both superstars would have been high up on the invite list, they had considerable commitments of their own, and were unfortunately not present at their veteran teammate’s wedding.
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