LeBron James, even if unintentionally, helped play the role of matchmaker for Sauce Gardner’s rumored relationship with rapper Ice Spice, the Jets cornerback told TMZ.
Gardner appeared on an April 2024 episode of “The Shop” — a podcast featuring James — alongside rapper Travis Scott, former NFL wideout Chad Ochocinco and star Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, and Gardner told the outlet he believes that’s when the couple met in person for the first time.
They seemingly became Instagram official just over one year later in a post shared by Ice Spice with her and Gardner posing in front of a bathroom mirror.
While Gardner told TMZ that he wasn’t “trying to speak too much on it” when approached in Los Angeles, he did acknowledge that he and the rapper are “cool” — and proceeded to reveal a bit about their relationship.
“We just be having a good time,” Gardner told the outlet. “Two young individuals, you know. She from New York. I play in New York. She talented, real talented, when it come to what she do. Same thing for me. Two people that get hated on that’s really good at what we do, so we got a lot in common. We cool.”
Before Ice Spice’s post, the duo had been spotted out in public on different occasions, and Gardner appeared to tease the relationship earlier in April by sharing a photo on Instagram that showed them standing next to a car in New York City.
When they attended a Knicks playoff game at the Garden in May, they received a loud ovation from fans in attendance as they watched the Knicks close out their second-round series against the Celtics.
Gardner, 24, will enter the 2025 campaign off a rough season and is entering the last year of his rookie deal, but he still attended the Jets’ mandatory minicamp instead of holding out, getting fined and attempting to make a contract statement.
“I just wanted to show my teammates and the coaches how much I’m bought into this,” Gardner told reporters on June 12. “I want to win. I want to be a part of changing the organization.”
He earned consecutive First-Team All-Pro appearances in his first two NFL seasons — as well as winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and securing a pair of Pro Bowl spots — but failed to even make the Pro Bowl last year.