Dwyane Wade has an amazing story that’s circulating, centered around how he found out that Kobe Bryant would be retiring at season’s end.
A few weeks back, pictures circulated of Kobe Bryant giving Dwyane Wade’s oldest son a pep talk on how to shoot a lot like uncle Kobe.
What we didn’t know, was the inner workings behind how that night all came about.
Wade apparently dropped by the Heat’s facility on Tuesday November 10 to get some treatment and soak in the cold tub — with Miami set to play the Lakers the next night.
According to NBA on TNT reporter Rachel Nichols — Wade saw Bryant sitting in a cold tub that has always been off-limits to opposing players.
Just not this night:
Way too long for 140 characters, but here’s the Kobe story Dwyane Wade told me: This was last month, the night before the Heat hosted the Lakers here in Miami. Wade decided to stop by the arena and get in a soak in the cold tub.
He goes through the Heat’s locker room area, back over to the training room, and who is already just sitting there in the tub…Kobe Bryant. Wade told me in the 13 years he’s played for the Heat, he’s never ever seen Pat Riley let an opposing player into the inner sanctum like that, using the team’s facilities, and that frankly, he was shocked. Of course, that’s the respect that Kobe has earned, and the two old friends had a great, long talk.
At the end of it, Kobe asked Dwyane if his sons were coming to the game the next night. Dwyane said no, as it was a school night, and Kobe said, ‘you know what, bring them, I think it’s going to be my last time here.’ Dwyane brought the boys, they got a lifetime memory after the game taking pictures with Kobe, and the Wade family got a little sneak-preview of Kobe’s retirement announcement before anyone else.
That was pretty awesome of Bean to let Wade and his sons in on the secret, so they could share in the experience as well.