Hometown hero
Dwyane Wade leaves a powerful legacy off the court that goes beyond his Hall of Fame career
Late in Dwyane Wade’s lone season with the Bulls, I interviewed him for a story about the brotherhood of Chicago basketball. But first, Wade had a question for me.
“Who have you talked to for the story?” Wade said, his smile widening as he heard names such as Cazzie Russell, Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway and Derrick Rose.
Wade summed up the dynamic well.
“When you’re from a city where basketball is known, you take pride in that,” he said. “You take a nextman-up mentality. And there are so many greats in front of you that it gives you something to shoot for. It gives you a place you want to be.”
Wade, whose eventual Hall of Fame career ended Wednesday night, got there.
Born on the South Side and raised in suburban Robbins, Wade retires after 16 NBA seasons, having etched his face on the Mount Rushmore of Chicago basket
ball with George Mikan, Thomas and Rose (apologies to Russell, Mark Aguirre and Johnny Kerr).
That doesn’t mean he’ll stay there as some stationary symbol carved in granite. Wade will make his primary residence in South Florida, but his foundation has remained active in Chicago. And his connection to this city is real.
“If I see any kid from the city, I’m going to put my arm around them — that’s the way it was done for me,” Wade said in April 2017. “The players who have done it take pride in the young ones coming up. That connection is always there.
“We don’t have to talk about it. It’s just a nod. It’s just a look. When you know someone grew up in your backyard, it’s just an automatic sign of respect.”
How can anyone not respect what Wade accomplished on and off the court?
Three NBA championships with the Heat, including the 2006 Finals MVP award. Thirteen All-Star Game appearances. Eight All-NBA teams. Three AllDefensive teams. One scoring title. Two Olympic teams with one gold medal. The Heat’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games.
His powerful scoring drives and highlight-making defensive havoc always seemed to shine brightest in the biggest moments.
Just as impressive, Wade’s community service and charity work impacted lives in Chicago and Miami. A powerful commercial from a beer company shed more light on that this week.
At every home game in his lone Bulls season, Wade would shine a light on a youth making positive contributions in the community. Run in conjunction with the Bulls and Wade’s World Foundation, the “Spotlight On ...” initiative placed that individual in the spotlight on the United Center floor, and Wade also spent pregame time with him or her. He made a lifetime memory.
Wade and the Bulls were connected so many times that it almost felt inevitable that he played here — even if it also felt weird not seeing him in a Heat uniform. John Paxson explored ways to trade up to draft him in 2003. The Bulls twice hosted Wade and his Chicago-based agent, the late Henry Thomas, during the frenzied 2010 free agency. Wade’s Heat teams eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs three times.
Wade signed here in 2016 because he felt shunned by the Heat. The Bulls offered him a huge payday — $47 million in a two-year deal that got bought out after one season — and the allure of playing in his hometown to make this a soft landing, a nice story.
Many viewed his time here as a lost season. Try telling that to one of those kids who had a spotlight placed on him or her. Try telling that to Wade.
Some forget Wade suffered what the team called a season-ending right elbow injury when an MRI confirmed a small fracture March 16. Instead, after an 11game absence, Wade returned for the final three regular-season games as the Bulls clinched a playoff spot on the last day.
“I’ve always fought back from certain things,” Wade said then. “This is no different.”
Wade’s talent sometimes overshadowed his professional pride and toughness. But they were there too throughout a Hall of Fame career that always carried a piece of Chicago with it.