SI LifeStyle

Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe Show Off Matching ‘Nicolandria’ Jerseys at NBA Cup

The fan favorite ‘Love Island USA’ couple sat courtside for the event.

Allie Hayes

Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe
Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe / Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

‘Nicolandria’

With winter slowly looming, it’s easy to miss the simple delights of summertime. Think things like the warm weather, the cool treats, the sun being out past 4 p.m.—and, if you’re anything like a good chunk of the population, seeing your favorite Love Island USA couples on TV week after week.

So you can imagine how excited fans of the franchise were when they tuned into the Emirates NBA Cup, only to spot everyone’s favorite Love Island USA power couple front and center: Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe.

Cuddling up courtside

Carthen and Vansteenberghe were breakout stars during the 2025 season of the popular Peacock dating show due to their sweet love story and laidback vibes. And while the two did not ultimately win the competition, they did win the hearts of countless fans. Thanks to their popularity, they’ve appeared in several brand campaigns together since the show ended in mid-July, and have been spotted out and about at various events—like at that aforementioned NBA Cup game.

This entry into the annual basketball tournament took place in Texas on Friday evening, where plenty of local fans were happy to cheer on the San Antonio Spurs as they faced the Golden State Warriors. Still, eagle-eyed reality TV viewers were quick to spot Carthen and Vansteenberghe in their courtside seats.

Posting about the event on social media for NBA on Prime, Vansteenberghe filmed a few videos showing off their seating arrangement, as well as his custom Spurs jersey, complete with a very special detail printed on the back: the pair’s merged couple nickname “Nicolandria.” While Carthen opted to stick with her casual-chic black top and dark-washed jeans combo, another video showed she also had a matching jersey, so the two could twin as they saw fit.

Fan reactions

Fans of the couple appeared happy to see them together, especially considering this outing came shortly after speculation that they may have broken up. According to Glamour, some worried the two had split after photos of Carthen arm in arm with model Asher London Williams hit the internet; however, the outlet also explained that others believed the photos were actually part of an ad campaign.

While the pair has previously stated that they haven’t “labeled” their relationship and plan to “take their time with things” outside of the show, this public sighting sent fans right to their social media comment sections, excited to share some love with the lovebirds:

“My favorite courtside couple 🫶🏽💕,” one fan wrote beneath an NBA on Prime photo collection of the two.

“This is so crazy omggg,” another added.

“THE CUTEST EVER,” a commenter proclaimed.

“This is what we wanna see 😍🔥,” another concluded.

More Lifestyle & Celeb:

feed

Published
Allie Hayes
ALLIE HAYES

Allie Hayes is an experienced pop culture staff writer and editor specializing in movies, TV and celebrity news. Before joining the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit team as a Breaking/Trending News Editor, she worked at several outlets including BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and Newsweek. When she’s not writing for work (or writing for fun), you’ll find her curled up on the couch reading yet another romance novel, obsessively watching pro wrestling with her friends, or taking blurry photos of her two adorable cats.

Home/Celebrities