Dwyane Wade, a former member of the Miami Heat, thanked a number of people during his induction speech. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame on Saturday night. He took a moment out of the spotlight during his statement to acknowledge the contributions of his former teammates.
He said : “The game gave me a lifetime of amazing memories,” “But nothing compares to the bonds I’ve made along the way. I’m thankful for Travis Diener, Robert Jackson, Dorell Wright, Quentin Richardson, Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, my bad little brother Mario Chalmers, and Ray Allen, to name a few.”
Then Wade acknowledged his more well-known championship teammates. He credited Hall of Famers Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and former Heat player Udonis Haslem for his success.
DWade thanks his teammates from throughout the years 🧡
📺: The #23HoopClass Enshrinement is live on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/UGa5GXkr36
— NBA (@NBA) August 13, 2023
“I also played with people who protected me, and gave me a bigger sense of purpose,” Wade said. “Shaq, LeBron, Chris, and UD. They changed the way I will be viewed in this game forever. With Shaq, I learned how to be Robin to his Batman, and then become Batman. Watching Chris simply be himself while giving his all to the game, but not cheating his family out of their time, gave me a friend I could look up to. Spending four years with LeBron in Miami, I watched him not take one single day off of being great. My brother UD and I, we learned how to be selfless leaders together. But the protection he provided me on and off the court provided the safety of a big brother, and it allowed me to bloom and blossom. So I thank you, and I love you.”
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were eclipsed by Dwyane Wade at the 2008 Olympics
Fans and experts are remembering some of the pinnacle moments of Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade’s career as he makes his way into the Hall of Fame. A video of his 2008 Olympic performance, in which he averaged 16 points, four rebounds, and 2.3 steals, has reappeared on social media. In this time, he outscored Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Wade scored 27 points, a team high, on a team-high 75 percent of his shots in the gold medal match versus Spain. Wade supported “The Redeem Team” as they attempted to improve upon their 2004 bronze-medal performance.
