‘I wish this team was here last year.’ Dwyane Wade talks Heat, the East and fatherhood
Don’t refer to Dwyane Wade’s post-playing career as retirement.
Just don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
When broached with the question during Art Basel, he responded simply, “I don’t know what that is.”
No laughter. No smile. Just straight face. Well played, D-Wade, well played.
His answer did make sense though. Since hanging up his jersey, the future Hall of Famer has been on a whirlwind tour of new partnerships, high school basketball games and raising a 1-year-old girl — a full-time job in of itself.
To be frank, that man stays busy.
Even when the Miami Herald caught up with Flash for the first time since he moved out West, it was during a party for The Shop In Pop Up Shop, a new retail concept in Wynwood that he helped finance. Luckily he had time to answer a few questions about being back in Miami, expectations for the Heat and fatherhood.
Smalls: How does it feel to be back home in Wade County?
Wade: It’s always great to come back to Miami. Uh, I’ll be back, you know, over the course of this year. Not only am I a part of The Shop, I have a restaurant chain here as well. I have a lot of friends and family here. The Miami Heat is still here where eventually I will probably do more things with them. So I definitely will always come back and it feels good. I know the roads, the air smells familiar.
S: Talk to me a bit about the Heat development process.
W: You hear the word culture a lot with Miami. That culture, pretty much, when you come in it gives you a guideline. It’s your Bible — if you do A, B and C right, look what can happen for you. A lot of guys have to buy into it and they do. So you get an opportunity to have a guy like Kendrick Nunn come in and say, ‘Hey, if you do X, Y, Z, you can start on this team.’ It doesn’t matter what your name is or how much money you make. We want to see effort. We want to see all the things that stand for Miami Heat culture.
S: Any of these new players you wish you could’ve laced it up with?
W: I love this team. I wish this team was here last year. That would’ve been a good way to send me off [laughs]. It didn’t happen but I’m glad that [Udonis Haslem] is here and he can experience it. The biggest thing for us is when you leave an organization that you put so much into it’s how you leave the organization. So I feel good one year away from basketball that the Miami Heat are in a place where you can see what the future looks like and it’s not a rebuilding, you know, place for this organization. So obviously I love Jimmy [Butler] being here. What he’s doing with this organization, we knew that was a perfect fit for him. So everything’s going good for him right now and I’m happy for them.
S: Speaking of the future, where do you see the Heat going at the end of this year and beyond?
W: They still have some young guys on the team, so it’s going to be moments like back to backs. You’re going to see certain games where young guys have to figure it out and it’s going to tell how special they are how quick they can bounce it back. But I think in the Eastern Conference right now, they shown that they can beat the best of the best. They beat Milwaukee, they beat Toronto, two of the best teams in the East. They’re going to be good at home. They play hard enough, they’re tough enough, they’re gritty enough, they’re unselfish enough that they’ll win enough games at home. So I think all Miami fans are just excited about what this year may mean for the future.
S: You missed one team when you mentioned the top teams in the East. My team: the Sixers.
W: Sixers too. Sixers too. I think if the Sixers get their mental they’ll be– [laughs], they’ll be– [laughs], they could be in the Finals. It takes a lot. It’s not just about talent you know? Obviously J. Rich is over there, my young guy, I want nothing but success for him and Ben Simmons is somebody who I know try to talk to a lot. I worked out with him this summer. I think they have so much potential. But it’s more than just that. It’s so many other things that comes into play to be a champion.
S: You’ve been doing a lot from an advocacy standpoint with the LGBTQ+ community. What’s it like to be in a position to be that advocate?
My favorite role and my favorite job in life is to be a parent, to be a father. I think I was born to be a leader and the best place that I can be a leader is in my household. So I’m happy that I’m able to be there to each of my kids and maybe one get more coverage than the other, but I treat them all the same. I love them, I support them all and that’s all I’m doing.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
