Wade scores big for his ‘angel’ Oliver
NEW YORK: Dwayne Wade produced his best game of the season on Tuesday while playing with a heavy heart.
The Miami guard inscribed his shoes with the name of Joaquin Oliver, who died on February 14 in the school shooting at nearby Parkland, Florida, then went out and scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Heat past the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 102-101.
Oliver’s parents said in a recent interview that their son was a Heat fan who was buried wearing a Dwyane Wade jersey. Joaquin Oliver was one of 17 people killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Wade came off the bench to score 15 of Miami’s last 17 points. A day earlier, he had acknowledged that learning about Oliver being buried in his jersey moved him deeply.
“From the standpoint of away from the game of basketball, as I continue saying, just understanding how important we are as professionals,” Wade said, according to ESPN.com.
“For me, it’s just giving whatever I can to people who believe in me, and especially people who were happy about me coming back here (after the trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month) who embrace me the way that I only can dream of with me coming back home. So just paying some due respect to (Oliver) and his family tonight.”
Wade posted on his Instagram account a photo of him celebrating the win with the caption: “Soooooo this happened tonite ...Great team win!!! Thankful for my support system for the belief and the confidence... Joaquin Oliver and Henry Thomas thanks for being my angels tonite. #wegotmoreworktodo”