Latest news with #DwyaneWade
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Kobe [Bryant] Didn't Play Well": Dwyane Wade Discredits Lakers Legend; Says Pau Gasol Deserved 2010 NBA Finals MVP
"Kobe [Bryant] Didn't Play Well": Dwyane Wade Discredits Lakers Legend; Says Pau Gasol Deserved 2010 NBA Finals MVP originally appeared on Fadeaway World. One of the few achievements that Kobe Bryant was yet to conquer after the 2008 season, when he won the regular season MVP award, was the NBA Finals MVP Award. Bryant appeared in the Finals seven times with the Lakers in his career and only won the award twice, in 2009 and 2010. Advertisement During the 2008 Finals, the Celtics won the championship and Paul Pierce took the Finals MVP award home, but in the 2009 appearance, Bryant finally got the award for the first time in his career. However, the second time he won the award, many people felt that he did not deserve to win the award. And instead, his teammate Pau Gasol should have won it. Among those people is the Heat legend Dwyane Wade. On the latest episode of his podcast, Wade was explaining what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to learn from Kobe Bryant when he recalled his last run in the NBA Finals. While he was trying to teach Gilgeous-Alexander a lesson, he inadvertently discredited the Lakers legend. 'A lot of people don't know that, in that Finals, the last Finals that they won, Kobe didn't play well. Kobe didn't shoot the ball well; actually, everybody thought Pau Gasol should have been the MVP. That's how well Pau was playing, and Kobe was playing awful." "But you never could tell when you turned the TV on that he was struggling. Because his leadership is always there, his intensity is always- that fire is always there. So, because he's 8 for 24 from the field or something like that, you could never tell with a player like Kobe.' Advertisement While Wade was trying to give Gilgeous-Alexander a lesson, he reminded the NBA fans that, essentially, Bryant's impact on his team won him the Finals MVP in 2010. Did Kobe Bryant Deserve The 2010 NBA Finals MVP? Pau Gasol averaged 18.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.8% from the floor, averaging 12.9 attempts in seven games of the 2010 NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant averaged 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in that series. He shot 40.5% from the floor while averaging 23.3 attempts per game, nearly twice as many as Pau Gasol. And while on paper, these numbers don't seem all that bad, Bryant struggled in three of the seven games. Advertisement In Game 2, he shot 40% from the floor (8 for 20) and struggled mainly from beyond the arc, where he went two of seven (28.6%) in that game. In Game 3, he shot 34.5% from the floor (10 of 29) and went one of seven from beyond the arc (14.3%). And in the close-out game, Game 7, Bryant also did not have a particularly memorable performance. He went 6 of 24 in the field (25%) and did not make a single one of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Looking at the facts as shown above, do you agree with Wade that Pau Gasol, not Kobe Bryant, deserved to win the 2010 Finals MVP? In my personal opinion, Bryant still deserved the Finals MVP. The Celtics focused their entire defensive attention on Bryant, which can lead to the argument that his teammates would not get the open looks they did if he did not draw as much attention as he did. He showed up for the team in crucial moments on multiple occasions, including three 30-point games in this series. While he may not have been as efficient as Gasol, he still deserved the award since I can conclusively say the Lakers would not have won the 2010 Finals without Kobe Bryant, but they may have won it with another big instead of Pau Gasol. Related: Former NBA Players Think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is The Next Kobe Bryant This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"He is not searching for threes" - D-Wade sees SGA as the face of the NBA's mid-range renaissance
"He is not searching for threes" - D-Wade sees SGA as the face of the NBA's mid-range renaissance originally appeared on Basketball Network. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stellar play in the 2024-25 season has been notable and a reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder have been so successful. SGA is the main scoring option for OKC, and his shot selection has caught the eye of many. Advertisement One of them is many-time champion Dwyane Wade. The Miami Heat legend shared how Gilgeous-Alexander earns his points, noticing that the 2025 MVP gets most of it without relying too much on the three-point shot. "He's not searching out threes. He's not jacking threes. That's why he is getting to the free-throw line, because he's putting much pressure on the defense. Also, he has the relief of being able to bump you and step back and hit that mid-range on either side of the floor. So he's brought back the game that we're used to seeing," Wade said on "The Timeout." New face for a forgotten craft Wade relied on the mid-range shot during his career, so he could easily relate. Admitting that most players and teams transitioned to the three-point shot because of Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Gilgeous-Alexander is anchoring a new shift in the game. Advertisement "He don't settle. He gets to his spot. And that is what we used to [do] with mid-range. Mid-range then was not settling," the 2006 NBA Finals MVP added on the mindset of dominating the in-between game. SGA has had success because he knows how to control the pace and space. Shai puts his size and skill to good use, allowing him to create the proper separation from defenders. When guarded too closely, the Canadian superstar will likely draw a foul. Hence, it is not surprising to find Gillgeous-Alexander being second in most free throw attempts in the regular season with 669 FTAs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was at the top with 707 FTAs. Related: "I would feel very sorry for someone in today's NBA who had to guard him as a power forward or center" - Rick Carlisle says he would play Larry Bird as a big in today's era Is Shai like Mike or Kobe? With his on-court brilliance, Gilgeous-Alexander has received a fair share of praise from coaches and former players. Some, like former big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, have even compared him to the legendary Michael Jordan. Advertisement "He's knocking at the door of being the best player in basketball. He's efficient like Jordan, relentless like Kobe. When it comes down to how he attacks and how efficient he is, especially from the midrange," Perk said in awe of the Thunder guard. Aside from Perkins, Tyronn Lue had a similar take. The Los Angeles Clippers coach hailed the maturity and patience Gilgeous-Alexander showed during games. SGA is the kind of player who wants his teammates involved and would take over only once the need arises. "He allows other guys to get going, allows other guys that he's trusted with the basketball [to score early]. He knows that at any point in time, he can take over the game. He reminds you a lot of the greats like [Michael] Jordan," Lue said via ESPN. Advertisement At only 26, Gilgeous-Alexander has many playing years ahead of him. The Jordan comparisons are flattering, but SGA knows it would take a lot to reach the level of MJ. However, it never hurts to try. For now, Shai's focus is winning his first NBA championship with the Thunder. If OKC goes on to win it all, SGA could replicate another MJ feat. Jordan won his first championship after seven seasons; the current season is, ironically, Gilgeous-Alexander's seventh. However, one difference is the age of both players. Michael won his first title at the age of 28. If Shai gets it done, he will have achieved it at only 26. What a career in the making. Related: "You just trusted Michael Jordan with the ball, I feel the same way with SGA" - Scalabrine believes Shai has earned the trust of his teammates like MJ This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
"Giving back to the people" - Dwyane Wade's life after NBA is masterclass on turning pain into power
Dwyane Wade retired from the NBA in 2019, playing for the Miami Heat as his last team. What will Dwyane Wade do after retirement? More than anyone, it was the man himself who needed an answer to this question. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, he did not have to wait for the answer for long. Sooner than anticipated, he put himself together, and what followed thereafter was a calendar full of activities, mostly dedicated to the causes dear to him. Dwyane Wade, indeed, had the power to make a difference in the world around him. He called his multiple activities a way of 'giving back to the people.' Here is how he achieved the unthinkable with his sheer power and empathetic approach. Dwyane Wade suffered major setback right after leaving NBA While Dwyane Wade's NBA career was decorated with achievements, his life right after the retirement didn't turn as he wanted. Wade started experiencing digestive and urinary issues, which were later diagnosed as Stage 1 cancer in right kidney. In 'The Why with Wade' podcast, he opened up about the same: 'That moment was probably the weakest point I've ever felt in my life. The moments I was by myself, I was struggling.' Dwyane Wade tears up while reflecting on kidney cancer diagnosis Dwyane Wade emerged victorious from the medical challenge after getting his tumor removed in December 2023. On his podcast, Wade used his experiences to influence people and helped them find positivity even in situations when everything went against them. Dwyane Wade donned writer's hat in 2012 to talk about parenting Dwyane Wade, while struggling through his cancer, kept his mind at work. He talked about struggles as a single father. Later, Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, opted for surrogacy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They found it useful to talk about the challenges people face and chose books as a way to normalize issues parents refrain from talking about. Wade wrote the book 'A Father First' to talk about the challenges he faced while raising his sons as a single father. The book was published in 2012 and became a bestseller. Wade and his wife co-authored another book, which was a children's picture book. The book was titled Shady Baby. Through this book, they shared how to convert shade into power, and normalized methods like surrogacy and discussions around the same. Dwyane Wade had to tackle another challenging situation when their daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender. Talking about that phase and how they protected their child from hate around, he shared: 'I'm such a proud father, and I try to post my kids. So, as my child got older and got confident and comfortable with us talking more about her and talking more about her situation, that's when we did.' His push to accepting the identity and instilling confidence led to launch of a digital platform, Translatable, which went on to become a valuable resource for LGBTQ+ community. Dwyane Wade invested in NBA, WNBA, and NHL franchises Dwyane Wade used his financial footing and love for sports to stay closer to the games. He acquired stakes in NBA, WNBA, and NHL teams to pump in money and resources for the betterment of these sports. Apart from investing in franchises, he has agreed to be a studio analyst for Prime Video's coverage of the 2025-26 season. Wade made it a point not to let his ailment get the better of him. He channelized his energy into meaningful causes and built an empire out of his ability to connect to people and express himself with no reservations. Dwyane Wade's other notable ventures in food, wine, beauty, fashion, and luxury accessories industries Whatever Dwyane does comes from the space of pushing his community to the forefront of things. He started a beauty products line aimed at providing cosmetic solutions to people of color. His successful wine venture, Wade Cellars, partnered with the Jones sisters, who owned an Inglewood, Calif., establishment, to enable the expansion of the Black-owned wine community. One of the Jones sisters, Leslie, commented, as per an Athletic's report: 'Every time I get to speak about him in the wine space, I love to do it. I think that he, better than anyone, has used his platform and used his celebrity (status) to push the Black wine community along.' 'He brought on all Black-owned wine brands to be the vendors.' Another fixation of Dwyane Wade is fashion and accessories. He struck deals with Versace and rolled out an eyewear line. His association with luxury watch brand Hublot gave birth to a luxury watch line, King Power D-Wade, launched in 2011. They collaborated again for the second edition and introduced the Classic Fusion Dwyane Wade. Wade partnered with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning and rolled out the clothing line Way of Wade. It further diversified into shoes, apparel, and accessories, too. The most noteworthy contribution of Dwyane Wade is in the field of food and culinary sciences. He supported his manager's hairstylist, Richard Ingraham, who was a culinary expert too. With Wade's support, Ingraham started Chef RLI, which went on to become a connecting platform for chefs and celebrities. Also Read: Dwyane Wade's journey after the NBA is indeed no less than a masterclass on how to make your pain your power. He identified opportunities in all the challenges he faced and used his experiences and interests to positively touch the lives of people around him. In the process, he has built himself an estimated net worth of $170 million (as per Forbes), which continues to grow with his sheer dedication and relentless work.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dwyane Wade wears many hats after the NBA: Father, entrepreneur, cancer survivor
Dwyane Wade's résumé could have stopped at three-time NBA champion, 13-time NBA All-Star and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. But his basketball success has given him access to a wide range of people and opportunities, in ventures involving sports, education, entertainment, food and wine. His post-basketball duties expanded with last month's announcement that he would join Prime Video's NBA coverage for the 2025-26 season as an in-game and studio analyst. Wade is considered one of the best players in NBA history because of his versatility on the court. In his post-NBA career, doing a little bit of everything still defines him. Advertisement Wade is the father of four children (and the guardian of a fifth), and he advocates for LGBTQ+ youth in solidarity with his daughter Zaya, who is transgender. He is married to actress Gabrielle Union. He's a brand ambassador, a fashionista, a podcaster. He's a cancer survivor, as well. With everything, Wade has a personal mission: Help people enter spaces they might not normally have access to. 'Not everyone is going to be invited into that room, so you can hold the door open to see if others can come in,' Wade told The Athletic. 'If not, make sure that you're doing your job, giving back to the people that you hope will walk through those doors.' Advertisement It's been a challenging 18 months for Wade. On the Jan. 30 episode of his podcast, 'The Why with Dwyane Wade,' he revealed he had a cancerous tumor removed from his right kidney on Dec. 18, 2023. Wade admitted he hadn't been as diligent about getting physicals since his playing days ended, but he eventually saw a doctor after having urinary and stomach issues. What specialists eventually discovered was a three-centimeter mass on his kidney: Stage 1 cancer. 'That moment was probably the weakest point I've ever felt in my life,' Wade said on the podcast. 'The moments I was by myself, I was struggling.' Wade, 43, tries to use his private experiences to lead public conversations that could help others, and he wanted to bring awareness to men's health issues. Advertisement Additionally, his experiences with fatherhood have been an ongoing teachable moment. Wade published a book in 2012 sharing stories about his journey as a parent. More than a decade later, Wade works to be a protector for Zaya. Wade didn't plan on parenting publicly, but celebrity status and social media have made it difficult — though he has been careful with Zaya. In being her biggest supporter, Wade has tried to be an example for other parents in how to handle attacks on transgender rights and vitriol aimed at their families. Wade's basketball career is revered in Miami (the nickname 'Wade County' is a play on Dade County), but his family moved to California after his playing career in part because he didn't believe his family would be 'accepted' amid Florida's anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Wade doesn't allow hate to change his parenting approach. 'I'm such a proud father, and I try to post my kids,' Wade said. 'So, as my child got older and got confident and comfortable with us talking more about her and talking more about her situation, that's when we did.' Through his Dwyane Wade Family Foundation, Wade aims to provide resources to marginalized communities. The foundation also assisted in starting Translatable, a digital platform and online community — operated by both Wade and Zaya — that states it's 'a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves and is a resource hub for our parents, families and support systems.' Advertisement 'We want to put our narrative out there, as well,' Wade said. 'We know that other families, other kids, other people will be dealing with this and will go through these things. This is happening in real time.' Since his cancer diagnosis, Wade has continued to live a busy life. His post-NBA biography includes ownership stakes in five sports franchises: the NBA's Utah Jazz, the NHL's Utah Hockey Club, the WNBA's Chicago Sky, the MLS' Real Salt Lake and the NWSL's Utah Royals. Other business partnerships include Versace; his wine brand, Wade Cellars; and PROUDLY, which makes hair and skin products for babies and children of color. Wade is also the founder of the production company 59th & Prairie Entertainment, and he has served as an executive producer on multiple projects, including award-winning Netflix documentaries ''The Redeem Team' and 'The Dads.' Add his new Prime Video duties to his growing list of projects. 'If you see a lot of the investments and things that I've done, it's in the world of entertainment, sports, the different teams I've invested in,' he said. 'That's how I can utilize myself, because that's where my strengths are. Advertisement 'I wanted to jump right into my strengths when I retired — and then obviously learn other things along the way.' Wade's interest in entrepreneurship increased after a shoulder injury briefly sidelined him during the 2006-07 season. His business manager, Lisa Joseph-Metelus, said she considers him a 'unicorn.' Wade has his hands on a lot of projects but tries to be intentional about what he attaches his name to, meticulously analyzing potential ventures. 'His curiosity is what drives a lot of the work that we do,' Joseph-Metelus said. 'He has no ego when it comes to understanding the process of something or learning or being put in a position where he says, 'I want to learn.'' Wade also takes risks, particularly with fashion. Jokes have been cracked about some of his choices. He's attended Fashion Week events in various cities around the world. He's worn capri pants and carried handbags when others wouldn't. Advertisement But he doesn't regret taking chances. 'I looked out in the space, and I didn't see many people in this fashion space that look like me as a Black American former athlete, someone 6-foot-4 who is a little unconventional when you think of fashion,' Wade said. 'No one is doing that, so why can't I?' He continued: 'Sometimes you have to understand that if you're comfortable in it, if you're so confident in what you're doing, (it's) going to take people an amount of time before they catch up. It's OK to be in the beginning phases of doing something. I've seen it in a lot of aspects of my life.' Wade has become a fixture in fashion. He has an apparel deal with Versace. He announced a deal with Swiss watchmaker Hublot more than a decade ago. Advertisement Wade also has made inroads — for himself and others — in the food and beverage industry. He visited Napa Valley during harvest season in 2014 and connected with the Pahlmeyer family, then partnered with them to create Wade Cellars. He then started Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon and Three by Wade Red Blend in 2015, to be sold in China. George Walker III is a Wade Cellars brand ambassador and was the company's first full-time employee. Walker worked in hospitality in Michigan but wanted to learn how to actually make wine. In 2020, he emailed Wade Cellars to ask about internships. While there were no internships, Wade Cellars told Walker there was a position available to run day-to-day operations. Walker pivoted and moved to Napa. He's now been with Wade's company for five years, and his role has grown to include marketing, social media and market share. When Walker started, Wade Cellars was in 10 states. By the end of 2021, it was in 44 states. Advertisement '(Wade has a) passion for creating space for people that aren't always represented,' Walker said. 'What convinced me was hearing his passion for that, but also just for connectivity in general.' Walker isn't the only person in Wade's orbit who credits the NBA Hall of Famer with providing an opportunity. Chef Richard Ingraham once was a hairstylist for Joseph-Metelus, and also taught culinary arts at Miami Northwestern High School. Joseph-Metelus reached out to Ingraham because Wade was looking for a personal chef. That connection allowed Ingraham — a non-sports fan who admittedly didn't know who Wade was at the time — to eventually quit his teaching job and live out a culinary dream. Ingraham credits Wade and Union with helping to start his first company, Chef RLI, a network to connect chefs with celebrities and sports figures. 'One day, (Wade) walked in the door and he was like, 'Hey, Chris Bosh asked if we knew of any chefs; we told him that you had a company and you put chefs in people's homes,'' Ingraham recalled. 'I was like, 'Yo, I don't have that.'' Advertisement But neither Wade nor Union took no for an answer. That unexpected nudge was a springboard for Ingraham's business, and his work with Wade also helped him write two cookbooks. 'Dwyane gave me the latitude to be able to have the time to write these books, to take pictures of food, to prepare the type of food that I've prepared,' Ingraham said. 'Every single dish in the books is something that has been prepared in this house. … I don't take those types of things for granted.' Wade also puts on the When We Gather Food & Wine festivals, which highlight chefs and sommeliers of color throughout the U.S. In September 2022, Wade brought his festival to an Inglewood, Calif., establishment owned by sisters LeAnn and Leslie Jones. 1010 Wine & Events calls itself 'the first and only wine bar in Inglewood.' Advertisement The Jones sisters had received media attention before, but Wade's association took their exposure to another level. 'Every time I get to speak about him in the wine space, I love to do it,' Leslie said. 'I think that he, better than anyone, has used his platform and used his celebrity (status) to push the Black wine community along.' 'He brought on all Black-owned wine brands to be the vendors,' added Leslie, referring to Wade serving as the first director of culture and vibes during the 2023 Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa, Calif. 'That's really powerful to me, because it's not just talking … it's putting action to it.' In 2021, Wade was asked to join the executive leadership board for the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, a program that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees related to the wine industry. Wade, noting the lack of diversity in the field, said he wanted to create a program 'where we are able to bring in Black and Brown people so we can learn about the wine industry and understand it.' Advertisement Ben Montpetit, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair at UC Davis, said Wade has been a 'great partner' for the program. The university in 2023 held an Influencers Bootcamp, a two-day event hosting faculty and advisers from schools around the country, HBCUs included, to learn more about the program and potential careers in the industry. Wade served as host. 'He's done a tremendous amount of work to help us reach new communities and students who might not necessarily have been exposed to wine in the past (and) might not be thinking about this as a career in the future,' Montpetit said. The idea of reshaping the culture around him has always appealed to Wade. He made nearly $200 million for his NBA career alone, per Spotrac; that doesn't include outside endorsements and deals with other companies. Creating opportunities is fulfilling, he said. Particularly when it can benefit others. Advertisement 'You know how it is on Thanksgiving when that plate is full? You just keep adding stuff on top of it, or you go back and get another plate,' Wade said. 'I'm just getting started. So hopefully, I'm just in the middle ground and this is halftime as a 43-year-old man.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Utah Hockey Club, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, Chicago Sky, Utah Royals FC, NHL, NBA, MLS, WNBA, NWSL, Sports Business, Culture 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Dwyane Wade wears many hats after the NBA: Father, entrepreneur, cancer survivor
Dwyane Wade's résumé could have stopped at three-time NBA champion, 13-time NBA All-Star and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. But his basketball success has given him access to a wide range of people and opportunities, in ventures involving sports, education, entertainment, food and wine. His post-basketball duties expanded with last month's announcement that he would join Prime Video's NBA coverage for the 2025-26 season as an in-game and studio analyst. Advertisement Wade is considered one of the best players in NBA history because of his versatility on the court. In his post-NBA career, doing a little bit of everything still defines him. Wade is the father of four children (and the guardian of a fifth), and he advocates for LGBTQ+ youth in solidarity with his daughter Zaya, who is transgender. He is married to actress Gabrielle Union. He's a brand ambassador, a fashionista, a podcaster. He's a cancer survivor, as well. With everything, Wade has a personal mission: Help people enter spaces they might not normally have access to. 'Not everyone is going to be invited into that room, so you can hold the door open to see if others can come in,' Wade told The Athletic. 'If not, make sure that you're doing your job, giving back to the people that you hope will walk through those doors.' It's been a challenging 18 months for Wade. On the Jan. 30 episode of his podcast, 'The Why with Dwyane Wade,' he revealed he had a cancerous tumor removed from his right kidney on Dec. 18, 2023. Wade admitted he hadn't been as diligent about getting physicals since his playing days ended, but he eventually saw a doctor after having urinary and stomach issues. What specialists eventually discovered was a three-centimeter mass on his kidney: Stage 1 cancer. 'That moment was probably the weakest point I've ever felt in my life,' Wade said on the podcast. 'The moments I was by myself, I was struggling.' Wade, 43, tries to use his private experiences to lead public conversations that could help others, and he wanted to bring awareness to men's health issues. Additionally, his experiences with fatherhood have been an ongoing teachable moment. Wade published a book in 2012 sharing stories about his journey as a parent. More than a decade later, Wade works to be a protector for Zaya. Advertisement Wade didn't plan on parenting publicly, but celebrity status and social media have made it difficult — though he has been careful with Zaya. In being her biggest supporter, Wade has tried to be an example for other parents in how to handle attacks on transgender rights and vitriol aimed at their families. Wade's basketball career is revered in Miami (the nickname 'Wade County' is a play on Dade County), but his family moved to California after his playing career in part because he didn't believe his family would be 'accepted' amid Florida's anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Wade doesn't allow hate to change his parenting approach. 'I'm such a proud father, and I try to post my kids,' Wade said. 'So, as my child got older and got confident and comfortable with us talking more about her and talking more about her situation, that's when we did.' A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) Through his Dwyane Wade Family Foundation, Wade aims to provide resources to marginalized communities. The foundation also assisted in starting Translatable, a digital platform and online community — operated by both Wade and Zaya — that states it's 'a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves and is a resource hub for our parents, families and support systems.' 'We want to put our narrative out there, as well,' Wade said. 'We know that other families, other kids, other people will be dealing with this and will go through these things. This is happening in real time.' Since his cancer diagnosis, Wade has continued to live a busy life. His post-NBA biography includes ownership stakes in five sports franchises: the NBA's Utah Jazz, the NHL's Utah Hockey Club, the WNBA's Chicago Sky, the MLS' Real Salt Lake and the NWSL's Utah Royals. Other business partnerships include Versace; his wine brand, Wade Cellars; and PROUDLY, which makes hair and skin products for babies and children of color. Advertisement Wade is also the founder of the production company 59th & Prairie Entertainment, and he has served as an executive producer on multiple projects, including award-winning Netflix documentaries ''The Redeem Team' and 'The Dads.' Add his new Prime Video duties to his growing list of projects. 'If you see a lot of the investments and things that I've done, it's in the world of entertainment, sports, the different teams I've invested in,' he said. 'That's how I can utilize myself, because that's where my strengths are. 'I wanted to jump right into my strengths when I retired — and then obviously learn other things along the way.' Wade's interest in entrepreneurship increased after a shoulder injury briefly sidelined him during the 2006-07 season. His business manager, Lisa Joseph-Metelus, said she considers him a 'unicorn.' Wade has his hands on a lot of projects but tries to be intentional about what he attaches his name to, meticulously analyzing potential ventures. 'His curiosity is what drives a lot of the work that we do,' Joseph-Metelus said. 'He has no ego when it comes to understanding the process of something or learning or being put in a position where he says, 'I want to learn.'' Wade also takes risks, particularly with fashion. Jokes have been cracked about some of his choices. He's attended Fashion Week events in various cities around the world. He's worn capri pants and carried handbags when others wouldn't. But he doesn't regret taking chances. 'I looked out in the space, and I didn't see many people in this fashion space that look like me as a Black American former athlete, someone 6-foot-4 who is a little unconventional when you think of fashion,' Wade said. 'No one is doing that, so why can't I?' He continued: 'Sometimes you have to understand that if you're comfortable in it, if you're so confident in what you're doing, (it's) going to take people an amount of time before they catch up. It's OK to be in the beginning phases of doing something. I've seen it in a lot of aspects of my life.' Advertisement Wade has become a fixture in fashion. He has an apparel deal with Versace. He announced a deal with Swiss watchmaker Hublot more than a decade ago. Wade also has made inroads — for himself and others — in the food and beverage industry. He visited Napa Valley during harvest season in 2014 and connected with the Pahlmeyer family, then partnered with them to create Wade Cellars. He then started Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon and Three by Wade Red Blend in 2015, to be sold in China. George Walker III is a Wade Cellars brand ambassador and was the company's first full-time employee. Walker worked in hospitality in Michigan but wanted to learn how to actually make wine. In 2020, he emailed Wade Cellars to ask about internships. While there were no internships, Wade Cellars told Walker there was a position available to run day-to-day operations. Walker pivoted and moved to Napa. He's now been with Wade's company for five years, and his role has grown to include marketing, social media and market share. When Walker started, Wade Cellars was in 10 states. By the end of 2021, it was in 44 states. '(Wade has a) passion for creating space for people that aren't always represented,' Walker said. 'What convinced me was hearing his passion for that, but also just for connectivity in general.' Walker isn't the only person in Wade's orbit who credits the NBA Hall of Famer with providing an opportunity. Chef Richard Ingraham once was a hairstylist for Joseph-Metelus, and also taught culinary arts at Miami Northwestern High School. Joseph-Metelus reached out to Ingraham because Wade was looking for a personal chef. That connection allowed Ingraham — a non-sports fan who admittedly didn't know who Wade was at the time — to eventually quit his teaching job and live out a culinary dream. Ingraham credits Wade and Union with helping to start his first company, Chef RLI, a network to connect chefs with celebrities and sports figures. Advertisement 'One day, (Wade) walked in the door and he was like, 'Hey, Chris Bosh asked if we knew of any chefs; we told him that you had a company and you put chefs in people's homes,'' Ingraham recalled. 'I was like, 'Yo, I don't have that.'' But neither Wade nor Union took no for an answer. That unexpected nudge was a springboard for Ingraham's business, and his work with Wade also helped him write two cookbooks. A post shared by Chef Richard Ingraham (@chefrli) 'Dwyane gave me the latitude to be able to have the time to write these books, to take pictures of food, to prepare the type of food that I've prepared,' Ingraham said. 'Every single dish in the books is something that has been prepared in this house. … I don't take those types of things for granted.' Wade also puts on the When We Gather Food & Wine festivals, which highlight chefs and sommeliers of color throughout the U.S. In September 2022, Wade brought his festival to an Inglewood, Calif., establishment owned by sisters LeAnn and Leslie Jones. 1010 Wine & Events calls itself 'the first and only wine bar in Inglewood.' The Jones sisters had received media attention before, but Wade's association took their exposure to another level. 'Every time I get to speak about him in the wine space, I love to do it,' Leslie said. 'I think that he, better than anyone, has used his platform and used his celebrity (status) to push the Black wine community along.' 'He brought on all Black-owned wine brands to be the vendors,' added Leslie, referring to Wade serving as the first director of culture and vibes during the 2023 Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa, Calif. 'That's really powerful to me, because it's not just talking … it's putting action to it.' A post shared by Wade Cellars (@wadecellars) In 2021, Wade was asked to join the executive leadership board for the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, a program that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees related to the wine industry. Wade, noting the lack of diversity in the field, said he wanted to create a program 'where we are able to bring in Black and Brown people so we can learn about the wine industry and understand it.' Advertisement Ben Montpetit, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair at UC Davis, said Wade has been a 'great partner' for the program. The university in 2023 held an Influencers Bootcamp, a two-day event hosting faculty and advisers from schools around the country, HBCUs included, to learn more about the program and potential careers in the industry. Wade served as host. 'He's done a tremendous amount of work to help us reach new communities and students who might not necessarily have been exposed to wine in the past (and) might not be thinking about this as a career in the future,' Montpetit said. The idea of reshaping the culture around him has always appealed to Wade. He made nearly $200 million for his NBA career alone, per Spotrac; that doesn't include outside endorsements and deals with other companies. Creating opportunities is fulfilling, he said. Particularly when it can benefit others. 'You know how it is on Thanksgiving when that plate is full? You just keep adding stuff on top of it, or you go back and get another plate,' Wade said. 'I'm just getting started. So hopefully, I'm just in the middle ground and this is halftime as a 43-year-old man.'
