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That’s like Kel leaving Goodburger for Mondo Burger. Say it ain’t so, Dwyane."
What Has Become of Dwayne Wade?
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of Google Images
Dwayne Wade and his new Air Jordans
Written by David Jacobson, Media Editor
“With the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Miami Heat select…” It was a star-studded night on the evening of June 23, 2003 in Madison Square Garden. David Stern stood at the podium as he addressed eager hoop (and rowdy, to say the least, Knicks) fans before him, already calling upon the names of three soon-to-be franchise players and a bum kid named Darko. It seemed that no one was left to bring the Heat, who finished last in the Atlantic Davison the previous year, back to NBA relevance. So when the name, “Dwyane Wade” was uttered from the commissioner Stern’s lip, only a handful of spectators who happened to catch the Final Four were not mistaking the Heat’s newest prodigy for the main character of the 1980’s sitcom a Different World.
Well, one NBA championship and Finals MVP, 5 All-Star appearances, one scoring championship, one Olympic Gold Medal, and a much more chiseled physique later, its safe to say the Miami Heat organization made a solid selection. It was evident that the Marquette alumni would leave his mark on the franchise for years to come, leading a sluggish Heat squad just a year before who boasted a 25-57 record to a 40-42 record and deep into the NBA playoffs. It began to seem as if D-Wade could do no wrong, immensely improving on the hardwood every year. Not to mention off the court, the kid seemed flawless and it was as if everything he touched turned to gold. He revived the Converse Basketball brand since its Dr. J Magic Johnson, Larry Bird days. Dwyane was living happily ever after with his high-school sweet heart and wife Siohvaughn and their two children in their Miami home. He was always making noise on the court, but no one heard a peep from him off it. Wade quickly became not only one of the most prominent faces of the association, but a model citizen for all to admire.
Now lets take a look back on this summer. D-Wade was coming off a scoring title, averaging nearly 29 points per game, but the Heat were sent home early after arguably the ugliest seven-game series in NBA history. Dwyane could not possibly be satisfied. Then, with the madness is the year 2010 approaching, the “what ifs” began to circulate. Would it still be “Wade County” as loyal Miami hoops fan hoped? Or, would he elope to a distorted and lost franchise (the Knicks…cough…cough).
Let’s look even further into D-Wade’s off-season: after six years of being the (only) face of the Converse Brand, he decided to leave them in the dust and become Nike Air Jordan’s newest affiliate. That’s like Kel leaving Goodburger for Mondo Burger. Say it ain’t so, Dwyane.
So what was next you ask? After pulling a “Saban” and ditching the brand that Chuck Taylor started, the only thing worse would be D-Wade leaving his lovely high-school sweatheart, Siohvaughn, for a Hollywood actress/model. Oh, wait: that DID happen.
But that was the summer, and his prolific play through the season thus far averaging 27 points a night mitigated fans (or at least my own) pain from his recent disappointments. Then he pulled a personal all-time worst, something that NBA fans alike would never expect from the recent Gold medal recipient: a complaint. Recently, he was heard accusing teammates for, “not getting him open enough.”
After being one of the very few model citizens that the NBA obtains, could these recent mishaps be premonition to the future? We’ll soon know the answer to this, of course, in the year 2010. Let’s just hope this time next year, D-Wade has the crowd on their feet while exclaiming, “Esta es mi casa!” with everyone able to understand.
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