Is Jaylin Smith still Sunisa Lee's boyfriend? All about the gymnast's love life
Sunisa Lee's boyfriend was NFL star Jaylin Smith from December 2021, when they were both college athletes, but she has kept her current love life under wraps. While discussing her ideal guy, the Olympic gymnast said on the Haha Podcast:
I feel like my type is athletes.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Suni Lee is not in a publicly known relationship as of February 2026.
- The Olympic gold medalist hard launched her relationship with NFL cornerback Jaylin Smith in late 2021, but the pair seem to have quietly broken up.
- The gymnast denied dating NBA star OG Anunoby after the pair were spotted chatting courtside at a New York Knicks game in mid-2025.
Is Jaylin Smith still Sunisa Lee's boyfriend?
The gymnast and Houston Texans cornerback Jaylin Smith have not been seen interacting online since early 2024, igniting breakup rumours. They no longer follow each other on social media and have wiped pictures of each other on Instagram.
Suni Lee and Jaylin Smith debuted their relationship on December 26, 2021, when the gymnast shared a picture of them in matching black hoodies, adding a white heart emoji. Jaylin was playing college football as a cornerback for the USC Trojans while Sunisa had finished competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The athletes kept their romance relatively private. Neither has publicly commented on whether and when they parted ways.
Source: Instagram
Suni Lee received racial hate for being Jaylin Smith’s girlfriend
Gymnast Suni Lee belongs to the Hmong-American community, who were reportedly not happy with her interracial relationship with African-American Jaylin Smith. In January 2022, TikTok user alixvangphom posted a video in support of her new romance, with the caption:
I know that Sunisa will be judged by certain eyes in the Hmong American Community because her man is Black. Love is love, no matter what race or gender you are. Keep doing you, Queen.
Many people under the post defended the Olympic gold medalist. Suni Lee also responded in a since-deleted comment, writing:
This makes me so happy. I've received so much hate. They support me when it's beneficial for them, never when it comes to my happiness. Thank you!
Source: Getty Images
Suni Lee’s dating status remains unclear
The Olympian tends to keep her personal life private amid her return to gymnastics after a health scare. During her November 2025 appearance on the Haha Podcast, she shared that men on the internet often ask her out, but they have failed to get her attention because they lack the qualities she looks for in an ideal guy.
Suni Lee said she is attracted to partners who are emotionally intelligent, mature, genuinely caring, and preferably athletes. They also have to be slightly older, with an age gap of about five years.
I like a very emotionally intelligent man because I feel like a lot of the guys that I've, like, talked to or come across, they always just end up being so immature.
Did Suni Lee and OG Anunoby date?
The Olympic gymnast was linked to New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby in mid-2025 after she was seen courtside at several of his NBA games at Madison Square Garden. The rumours intensified after pictures of them chatting at the sidelines went viral.
The athletes have since refuted the claims of any romance between them. Suni Lee told Mirror US in July 2025 that they are just friends, clarifying that she is close to several players on the Knicks team, including Karl-Anthony Towns and his partner Jordyn Woods, whom she first met in Minnesota.
I feel like social media kind of just, like, took it further than that... Honestly, I just enjoy watching basketball, which is why I went to most of the games... There's nothing there. We're just friends. I fully support all of them, and I support the Knicks.
Source: Instagram
Inside Suni Lee and Devin Booker’s dating rumours
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker was rumoured to be Suni Lee’s boyfriend during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they were both competing for Team USA. The NBA star posted a picture with the gymnast on his Instagram Stories, captioning it with a goat emoji, and Lee reposted it.
The athletes never addressed the rumour. Devin Booker has been in an on-and-off relationship with model Kendall Jenner since 2020 and was briefly linked to model Christina Nadin in 2024.
Source: Twitter
Is Suni Lee a millionaire?
The Olympic gold medalist has an estimated net worth of $5 million in 2026. As a highly marketable athlete, Suni Lee has signed lucrative endorsement deals with several top brands, including Amazon, Toyota, Target, L'Oréal, SKIMS, and LEGO.
What disease did Sunisa Lee have?
The gymnast was diagnosed with two kidney diseases in early 2023, but did not specify the condition. The ailment forced her to end her collegiate career at Auburn University in Alabama and kept her out of the gym for several months.
In a November 2023 interview with USA Today, Suni Lee said the experience was scary and had caused her to swell and gain over 40 pounds due to fluid retention. She shared that she had to change her diet and approach to training.
We're still working on trying to figure out how to balance all of it because I do have good days and bad days... I've never had health issues before, so waking up one random Tuesday of the week and you just can’t even recognise yourself is so scary.
Her doctor had told her she may not be able to do gymnastics again, but Suni Lee managed to make a comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics after her illness went into remission. She won three medals, including two individual silver medals and gold in the team event alongside Simon Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Details about Sunisa Lee’s boyfriend and relationship status have been kept out of the spotlight since she opened up about the negative racial comments she received for dating Jaylin Smith. They are both focused on their respective athletic careers. Jaylin was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
READ ALSO: Adley Rutschman's girlfriend: Meet Georgia Ellenwood, the Canadian Olympian he is dating
Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about Adley Rutschman and Georgia Ellenwood’s relationship. The pair went Instagram official in July 2024 during an MLB All-Star Game event.
Rutschman and Ellenwood sparked breakup rumours in early 2025 after deleting pictures of each other from Instagram. Adley plays catcher for the Baltimore Orioles in the MLB, while Georgia is a Canadian athlete specialising in heptathlon and pentathlon events.
Source: Briefly News
