Trinity Rodman Reveals How She Really Met Boyfriend Ben Shelton

Trinity Rodman had never met Ben Shelton when she invited him to spend the weekend at her house.

Looking back, even she knows how that sounds.

“I fully committed to this guy that I didn’t even meet yet, for him to stay at my house for the weekend... It’s actually crazy, it’s insane, but it worked out,” Rodman recalled during an appearance on Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast.

It certainly did.

Rodman and Shelton have since become one of the most recognizable young couples in sports, with their relationship bringing together two athletes already making names for themselves in very different arenas. But before the Instagram posts, courtside appearances and public displays of support, there was a fire emoji, a quick response and one particularly awkward first meeting.

And Rodman was the one who started it all.

Trinity Rodman Made the First Move on Ben Shelton

Rodman admitted to Kelce that she initially reached out to Shelton through his DMs, although she isn't exactly proud of the opening line she chose.

“Everything I do is just embarrassing. I’m really embarrassed,” Rodman said. “I said ‘You’re sick, fire emoji,’ that’s it ... It worked, he responded within 10 minutes, so I win.”

Shelton didn't exactly sweep her off her feet with his response, either. “Yeah, you were sick at the Olympics, too, ha ha,” Rodman recalled him writing.

Instead of being turned off by it, she appreciated that Shelton was willing to meet her where she was. “He matched the cringe situation, and then I think a week or two later we met in person,” she said.

That first meeting wasn't a casual drink or dinner somewhere in public. Shelton flew out to see Rodman and, despite the fact that the two had never actually met face-to-face, she invited him to stay at her house for the weekend.

Rodman had been confident enough to make the first move and extend the invitation. Actually waiting for Shelton to walk through her door was another story.

Ben Shelton Passed Rodman's First Test Without Knowing It

With Shelton on his way from the airport, Rodman needed something to do. So she gave herself something to do.

Rodman revealed that she pretended to “break down boxes” around her house so Shelton wouldn't arrive to find her simply sitting there waiting for him. When he finally showed up, she still had scissors in her hand.

Rodman gave Shelton a “little hug” and promptly returned to her boxes.

Then something happened that stuck with her: Shelton started helping. “He proceeded to help me... and that’s when I knew, keeper,” Rodman said.

For all the planning Rodman put into looking busy, it was Shelton's unscripted reaction that ended up making the biggest impression.

The relationship went public in March 2025, and both athletes have since become regular fixtures in each other's corners. Rodman has supported Shelton at tennis tournaments, while Shelton has shown the same enthusiasm for her soccer career.

Rodman also told Kelce that she has embraced being a “WAG,” a label she can enjoy without losing any part of her own identity as an elite athlete.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, honestly. I think to know we’re both on the grind, running our bodies to the ground, always exhausted, doing what we love, and then to also be able to be a little like a WAG in a sense, it feels so good for us.”

For a relationship that started with a message Rodman now finds embarrassing, she seems pretty happy she hit send.

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