{"id":193266,"date":"2025-07-21T06:23:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T06:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/21\/lauren-betts-in-awe-as-kiki-rice-shares-moments-from-espy-2025-with-boyfriend-and-nba-champ-cason-wallace\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T06:23:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T06:23:54","slug":"lauren-betts-in-awe-as-kiki-rice-shares-moments-from-espy-2025-with-boyfriend-and-nba-champ-cason-wallace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/21\/lauren-betts-in-awe-as-kiki-rice-shares-moments-from-espy-2025-with-boyfriend-and-nba-champ-cason-wallace\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauren Betts in awe as Kiki Rice shares moments from ESPY 2025 with boyfriend and NBA Champ Cason Wallace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4987832\" data-slug-id=\"2592210\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>UCLA star Kiki Rice attended the 2025 ESPY Awards on Wednesday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Rice attended the event with her boyfriend, Cason Wallace, who is fresh off an NBA championship win with the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-basketball\/kiki-rice-college\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Kiki Rice<\/a> gave fans a closer look at her appearance at the ESPY awards, sharing photos of herself alongside her boyfriend, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/news-okc-thunder-nba-champion-hard-launches-romance-ucla-s-kiki-rice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Cason Wallace<\/a>, from their night at the event. She was rocking a sleek black dress, accessorized with a couple of rings, a bracelet and a necklace.<\/p>\n<p>Wallace, was also dressed in black, paired with a white shirt and a black patterned tie. He added stylish black shades to complete the look.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>The photos sparked plenty of reactions. One of the most noticeable reactions came from Rice\u2019s UCLA teammate, Lauren Betts. Betts dropped three comments on the post.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMy Jaw,\u201d she wrote<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIs on the floor,\u201d she added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c\ud83d\ude0d,\u201d she added<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Other fellow basketball athletes, including Rice\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-basketball\/ucla-bruins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">UCLA<\/a> teammates, also showed love in the comments. Amanda Muse, Jaelynn Penn and Gianna Kneepkens were among those who chimed in.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOkayyyyy!!\u201d Kneepkens wrote.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201ckikster wouldn\u2019t be at the espys without her van cleef \ud83d\ude0c\ud83d\ude0c\ud83d\ude0c,\u201d Muse wrote.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI fear you ate him up.. as you should,\u201d Penn added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Lauren Betts in awe as Kiki Rice shares moments from ESPY 2025 with boyfriend and NBA Champ Cason Wallace. (Images via Instagram @kik.rice)\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/07\/fe8db-17529670408869-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201080%201350%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Lauren Betts in awe as Kiki Rice shares moments from ESPY 2025 with boyfriend and NBA Champ Cason Wallace. (Images via Instagram @kik.rice)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some of the basketball stars who took home major honors at the event include Indiana Fever\u2019s Caitlin Clark, who was named Best WNBA Player, and Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won Best NBA Player.<\/p>\n<p>USC\u2019s JuJu Watkins also took home the award for Best College Athlete (Women\u2019s Sports), and Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg earned Best College Athlete (Men\u2019s Sports).<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u201cShe has set a cultural standard of work,\u201d: UCLA coach Cori Close on Kiki Rice\u2019s work ethic<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Last season, Kiki Rice was a key part of UCLA\u2019s impressive run to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. The 5-foot-11 guard ended the season with an average of 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of UCLA\u2019s Final Four matchup against UConn in April, coach Cori Close had high praise for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-basketball\/news-lauren-betts-ucla-teammate-kiki-rice-drops-1-word-reaction-following-major-academic-honor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Kiki Rice<\/a>\u2019s leadership and work ethic, crediting her with setting the tone for the team.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI think it\u2019s the hardest-working team that I\u2019ve ever been a part of, top to bottom,\u201d Close said. \u201cI have to kick them out all the time, of the gym. They want more. They\u2019re incredibly hardworking. And I have to give that credit to Kiki Rice, because she has set a cultural standard of work that is contagious and pervasive. She deserves so much credit in that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Their tournament ended with a tough 85-51 loss to UConn in the Final Four. UConn went on to finish the job, defeating South Carolina in the championship game to claim the national title.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/4498070-1732190396-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Inioluwa&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nInioluwa is a High School Sports journalist with a BSc in Microbiology and four years of experience in the field. His love of sports led him to develop an interest in journalism, and that led him here.<\/p>\n<p>A Golden State Warriors fan, Inioluwa&#8217;s favorite player in sports is Steph Curry and his favorite coach is Steve Kerr. His favorite sporting moment was the Warriors winning the Championship in 2015 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.<\/p>\n<p>When not watching or writing about sports, Inioluwa likes to play football and enjoys gaming, especially football manager.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/inioluwa\" aria-label=\"Author know more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Know More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-tagline bottom\" data-tab=\"bottom\">\n<p><em>Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey &#8211; who is NCAAW&#8217;s highest-paid coach? Find out <\/em><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-basketball\/5-highest-paid-women-s-college-basketball-coaches-2024-25-season-ft-kim-mulkey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\" class=\"bottom_tagline_link\" data-tab=\"bottom\">here<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Chaitanya Prakash<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-basketball\/news-lauren-betts-awe-kiki-rice-shares-moments-espy-2025-boyfriend-nba-champ-cason-wallace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UCLA star Kiki Rice attended the 2025 ESPY Awards on Wednesday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Rice attended the event with her boyfriend, Cason Wallace, who is fresh off an NBA championship win with the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Saturday, Kiki Rice gave fans a closer look at her appearance at the ESPY [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":193267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-193266","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}