Sole provider Spencer says it with sneakers
Heat’s Wade latest to be honored in Dinwiddie’s themed shoe series
MIAMI — Spencer Dinwiddie is wearing art on his feet this season.
It’s for a good cause. The Brooklyn Nets guard is planning to have a different set of sneakers in every game this year, paying tribute to either various people or causes on that particular night.
On Tuesday in Miami, his shoes were a homage to Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
Dinwiddie proudly got his childhood idol to sign the shoes afterward, and they were truly one of a kind. The words “One Last Dance” were across the tongues of the shoes, a nod to what Wade is calling his 16th and final NBA season.
There were images of palm trees, a Miami signature, as well as the No 3 that Wade has worn on his jersey for the entirety of his time with the Heat.
“I knew when the schedule came out and he had said this is his last year that we had to do something special,” Dinwiddie said after Brooklyn’s 104-92 victory.
Dinwiddie isn’t keeping the Wade-themed shoes or any others this season. They’re all being auctioned off for charities that support causes that help children.
“Tribute to a legend that deserves his farewell tour!” Dinwiddie wrote on Instagram when he posted an image of the Wade shoes. “And the only current player that will be a part of this journey this season.”
Wade was moved by the gesture.
“They were cool,” he said after meeting with Dinwiddie postgame.
Dinwiddie and Wade were briefly teammates in Chicago two seasons ago, and the Nets guard considers the Heat star one of the three greatest shooting guards in NBA history.
Dinwiddie expressed his admiration to Wade again in their postgame chat.
“I said you deserve everything and thank you for allowing me to do this,” Dinwiddie said.
He’s already had some memorable ones this season — “Purple Rain” sneakers for a game at Minnesota in a tribute to legendary singer Prince, other pairs that were tributes to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick (for a game against Golden State, which certainly got noticed in the Bay Area where Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers) and Muhammad Ali.
He even had a pair that celebrated the logos of various media outlets. And last week, when comic legend and Marvel icon Stan Lee — a huge figure in the entertainment world — died, Dinwiddie had sneakers to honor him as well.
Adding Wade, 36, to that list was an easy call.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” said the 25-year-old Dinwiddie, who is doing all of this in conjunction with his family’s foundation.
“Our focus is the youth, and our family’s legacy has been entrenched in supporting the youth we encounter for generations now,” he wrote earlier this season.
“So I honor the legacy of my family as well with every pair.
“Whether I’m sneaker king at the end of this season or not, this thing is so much bigger than basketball.”