We compiled a group of individuals (programming note: 30 entries, not 30 people total) who mean something special to SLAM and to our audience. Read the full list here and order your copy of SLAM 248, where this list was originally published, here.

Where does he fit on your list? Top 50 ever? Top-five shooting guard? Shoot, a lot of people have him third after the anointed two of MJ and Kobe. Dwyane Wade’s exact placement in the pantheon doesn’t even matter. He’s an all-timer, and no one will ever argue that.

And this same dude, a little more than two decades ago, had to call a press conference to announce if he was turning pro or returning to college. For his senior season. In an era when high schoolers were going in the lottery regularly. And the press conference’s outcome was hardly a given. Media in attendance, to say nothing of Marquette University’s fan base, really didn’t know what Wade was going to announce about his plans. Why do I have such vivid memories of a relatively small moment in a Wade career that was filled with much bigger ones? I was there. I pretty much shadowed Dwyane that whole day, much of it with our man Atiba Jefferson by my side taking photos.

How was this future legend not already in the League like many of his peers? He was the type of late bloomer the game rarely creates these days. Wade was lightly recruited out of Richards High School in Illinois, a suburban school just southwest of Chicago, in part because he was trending toward being academically ineligible as a freshman. He chose Marquette because then-MU coach Tom Crean made Wade his number-one target and promised him he’d take Wade even if he had to sit out a season—which he did. 

As such, Wade did not really become a “national” name at all until he was a sophomore in college. That’s also the year he made his very first appearance in SLAM, a slim “In Your Face” in Issue 62 in which we spelled his first name “Dwayne” [absolutely pathetic, if not as bad as the biter hoops magazine making that mistake on its cover years later.—(Previous) Ed.]. That issue featured high schoolers LeBron James (a recurring theme) and Sebastian Telfair on the cover. Unless this is the first time you’ve read SLAM, you know that the GOATs rarely make it past 16 or at least high school before gracing our pages.

The feature I wrote off the day I spent with Dwyane in Milwaukee (he did indeed declare for the ’03 Draft) ran in SLAM 71. The story—graced with beautiful black and white photographs by Atiba—began immediately after Ryan’s classic story on LeBron, who was making his first solo appearance on our cover. A bit of foreshadowing, all this. LeBron did and has outshined Dwyane, sure. But the closeness of the pages is also analogous to how much closer their careers would prove to be than anyone imagined. Bron was The Chosen One. Dwyane was the unknown. But from that day and story onward, the floodgates were open. 

On the court, Wade was a success from the jump, finishing third in the ’04 ROY voting after averaging 16.2 ppg (Bron won, naturally). By year three, dude was averaging 27.2 per and was an NBA champion—and runaway Finals MVP at that. By 2010, a ring-less LeBron felt compelled to leave Cleveland for South Beach to team up with Wade and their ’03 Draft classmate, Chris Bosh, to chase titles. And it worked. LeBron got his first two. Dwyane ended the partnership with three to his name.

That’s how many rings Wade would end up with, but the accomplishments and accolades flowed well through the 2010s. The 6-4 2-guard ended his 16-year NBA career with per-game averages of 22 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists, with 13 All-Star appearances and 12 All-League honors to his name. Save for brief stretches in Chicago and Cleveland, the uber-tough Wade spent his career in Miami, embodying #HeatCulture and cementing himself as the greatest player in that franchise’s short but storied history.

Off the court, Wade followed a groundbreaking footwear path that started with Converse, detoured as he became the face of Jordan Brand and ended with a literally game-changing deal with Li-Ning. He married Hollywood superstar Gabrielle Union. He’s become a vocal champion of trans rights in the wake of his daughter’s gender transition. And he made up for his late start with SLAM, appearing countless times in our pages, from McDavid ads (!) to champs issues to a handful of classic solo covers—SLAM 127, “Tropic Thunder” being my personal favorite.

In ’22, Wade received an honorary degree from Marquette and gave the commencement address to that year’s graduating class. Last August, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

But in so many ways, the journey from little-known amateur to globally renowned professional began on that April day in 2003 when he announced he was leaving Marquette. 

And Teebz and I were there. 

Portrait by Atiba Jefferson. Photo via Getty Images.

The post THE 30 PLAYERS WHO DEFINED SLAM’S 30 YEARS: Dwyane Wade appeared first on SLAM.

“That’s the beauty of style and fashion,” says Barnett, now a creative consultant for the Utah Jazz, over Zoom. “You can really create your own narrative, and you can drive the story. You can have people focus on certain things.”

Wade went on to average a career-high 30.2 points and make his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance that year, and Barnett, who started working with him in ’07, has remained the visionary behind his ever-evolving style. It’s her innovative thinking, as well as her keen attention to detail—the Miami native was studying to be an accountant for the FBI before getting into fashion and attending FIT—that makes Barnett perfect for her new role as creative consultant for the Utah Jazz. As creative director of their private label apparel brand, Counterpoint, she’s been monumental in how the team approaches being more “fashion forward” as well as how they are reimagining fan apparel.

As excitement continues to build around the Jazz, which has one of the most stylish players in the NBA, Jordan Clarkson, on its roster, and has Wade as a co-owner, Barnett is ready to help bring Utah to the forefront. There will even be a pop-up event at this year’s All-Star Weekend featuring some pretty big-name brands. “I think that once people see it, they’re going to be like, Oh, you know what? I don’t need to go to New York, I don’t need to go to L.A. I need to go to Utah, where there isn’t much in terms of fashion but people are hungry [and] they’re ready for the stores to come to them.” 

The post How Calyann Barnett Went from Being an NBA Stylist working with Dwyane Wade to the Creative Consultant for the Utah Jazz  appeared first on SLAM.

The 2019 LF HOF Class featured legends including Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Walt Frazier, Cappie Pondexter and Nick Young, while the 2020 LF HOF Class has the only currently active player in Russell Westbrook, plus two heavy hitters in Dennis Rodman and Magic Johnson.

This year, four new members were added to the LF Hall of Fame—and to say they just showed out in the tunnel would be an understatement. From visionaries to the most stylish of champions, here’s the official LeagueFits Hall of Fame.

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2019

Nick Young might not have been the first basketball player to ever dress up, but he was the first to make “swaggy” his moniker. Young was by far the best-dressed player on the superteam Warriors, a pioneer as an athlete-turned-designer and has remained a stalwart voice in the sports style community since retiring from the NBA.

MORE ON SWAGGY’S UNIQUE STYLE

Allen Iverson is the most important player in the LeagueFits Hall of Fame. His style choices sparked harsh reactions from those who couldn’t understand and even evoked a League-wide rule change. Iverson normalized self-expression for hoopers across the globe, paving the path for the viral looks we see in the tunnels on a daily basis today. 

MORE ON AI’s ICONIC MOMENTS

 As the WNBA’s first style star, Cappie Pondexter was a shoe-in for the first-ever LeagueFits Hall of Fame Class. She paved the way for today’s athletes in what’s arguably become the most stylish sports league on the planet. 

MORE ON CAPPIE’s INFLUENCE

Walt Frazier was the first basketball player to take style seriously, and he did so while being a superstar player in the Mecca. 

MORE ON CLYDE’s TIMELESS DRIP

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2020

Sneaker culture is nearly synonymous with basketball and its style scene. It’s only right that Michael Jordan was a first ballot LeagueFits Hall of Famer (don’t worry, dude could put an outfit together, too).

MORE ON MJ’s GREATEST FITS

Magic Johnson’s game off the court was just as the flashy one he brought to it as the leader of the Showtime Lakers.

MORE ON MAGIC’s STYLE EVOLUTION

You have to be an icon to be inducted into the LeagueFits Hall of Fame while still actively playing. Russell Westbrook created the modern, online, style era not just for basketball, but for sports period. He’s an icon.

MORE ON RUSS’ IMPACT

When it comes to self-expression, nobody has ever been on Rodman’s level and nobody ever will. Between the hair, outfits and attitude, he was uniquely and unapologetically him at all times.

MORE ON RODMAN’s AUTHENTIC STYLE

LEAGUEFITS HOF CLASS OF 2023

You had to know Dwyane Wade’s induction was coming. Wade helped break a barrier as one of the first athletes to attend fashion week and was the subject of two of the League’s first-ever viral style moments.

MORE ON D-WADE’s FLASHY STYLE

Always smooth, always efficient. Sue Bird’s wardrobe had a tendency to mirror her GOAT-level on-court game.

MORE ON SUE’s GOAT FITS

When it comes to courtside looks, nobody in NBA history has ever done it as well as Rat Riley (or even come close, honestly). Making a career in Los Angeles, New York and Miami—winning 5 championships in the process—taught Riley how to dress like a superstar, too. 

MORE ON RILEY’S COURTSIDE LOOKS

The visionaries behind LeagueFits, Ian and Joe, discuss the LF HOF Class of 2023 and their favorite fits from all of them on ‘Survival of the Fitted.’ Check it out below.

Shop our LeagueFits apparel, from Hoodies and Shorts to an exclusive collab with Famous Nobodys and MORE.

The post LeagueFits Hall of Fame: The Most Influential, Best-Dressed Basketball Players of All-Time appeared first on SLAM.

It wasn’t the prettiest of victories to their now three-game win streak, as the Suns held a 13 point-advantage at one point, but the dominance of Bam Adebayo showed up at the perfect time in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 30 points.

His two-way play seems to be pushing the team in the right direction, as his screens and playmaking are getting Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry in much needed rhythm.

After the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on the value Adebayo provides on both sides of the ball and how his responsibilities can benefit the rest of the team.

“He’s such a winner. He’s an absolute winner,” said Spoelstra. “He can morph into so many different roles for us where he makes it look so much easier to the average fan – everybody just wants him to score 40.”

Adebayo had been off to a slow start for the first seven games of the season, resulting in the Heat winning just two games in October. Now, winners of five of their seven games in November, Adebayo has jumped his averages to 20.7 points per game, 10.3 rebounds, and 40 assists per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field.

The Heat is doing better once Adebayo takes over a game, but as co-star Jimmy Butler mentioned last week, Miami’s defense is “not where it needs to be.”

With a 111.8 defensive rating, the Heat are 17th in the League in that category, a major drop from their fourth-best rating last season. However, the team is third in the League in points allowed in the paint (44.7), courtesy of Adebayo’s anchoring down inside.

“Understanding how to read defenses and what’s necessary for this team,” said Spoelstra on Adebayo. “when to be assertive, when to create for others, when to set screens for guys, look, I’ve never coached really somebody where there’s been so many different responsibilities,”

Spoelstra has taken leadership over legends like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and of course, Butler, the current face of the team. Encouraging words like the one Spoelstra said on Adebayo should factor into how confident the big man plays the rest of the year.

The post Erik Spoelstra: Bam Adebayo ‘Can Morph into Many Different Roles’ appeared first on SLAM.

Haslem entered the League in 2003 as an undrafted rookie out of Florida. With all-time great Dwyane Wade, the pair won an NBA Championship in just their third season with the Heat after defeating the star-studded Dallas Mavericks squad. Haslem would make another 17 years of unforgettable memories for the Heat.

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UD was part of the back-to-back championship roster for the Heat from 2012-2013. Haslem started in 59 games in 2013 and proved his vocal leadership from the forward slot would end up making one of the Heat’s best defensive lineups in League history. He still shows that leadership on the bench as he constantly directs where a Heat defender should be on plays. Of course, it worked, as the Heat were one of the best defensive teams last season.

That stout defense had its moments, like when Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra got into a heated argument over a defensive possession. Haslem broke up this matter; and assured the team and press that he wouldn’t condone Butler’s behavior by yelling “I’ll whoop your a–” towards the six-time All-Star.

Udonis Haslem addresses what he says is the beginning of his “The Last Ride.“ pic.twitter.com/qA7OxZSeyC

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 27, 2022

Fans thought the team was falling apart, but it was only a wake-up call to get back into their winning ways. Butler would then lead the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would end up a Game 7 victory short of playing in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

“Got one more in me for Pop,” said Haslem per Heat Nation. “Got one more in me for the city. Got one more in me for the team.”

The Heat forward dedicates his last season to his late father, Johnnie Haslem, who passed away in August 2021. The UD farewell tour starts Oct. 19 against the Chicago Bulls. A lot of emotion heads into this season, but the best thing Haslem and the Heat can do is bring a fourth banner to the 305 and write off Haslem with a legendary career.

The post Udonis Haslem Announces His 20th Season Will be His ‘Last Ride’ appeared first on SLAM.

Every Friday, I’ll shoot over my 11 favorite pieces (as the gospel says: we don’t cop clothes, we cop pieces) that I loved on LeagueFits from the previous week. Who wore ’em, what the brand is and, of course, a button to cop. You can get this exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter, WHERE DO I COP?

As y’all probably saw, something major happened in the LeagueFits world this week: We got Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade as featured guests on our Survival of the Fitted podcast (check it out here). If you listen every week, welcome back. If you’ve never listened or watched before, I hope you tap in and enjoy your first one. Listening back was just as fun as the live recording. 

Also a major shout out to intern turned co-host turned certified icon Joe Williams. Dwyane Wade liked his FTP pants, so I gave him a little feature in this week’s Top 11. 

The 11 Best Pieces Featured on LeagueFits This Week

LOSO NYC FITTED (made-to-order) worn by SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER

AIME LEON DORE “KNIT POLO CARDIGAN” worn by CARMELO ANTHONY

LOUIS VUITTON “TRAINER” worn by SCOTTIE BARNES

LOUIS VUITTON “INTARSIA SWEATER” worn by BEN SIMMONS

NIKE SB DUNK worn by CARMELO ANTHONY

DIOR “B23 SNEAKER” worn by LEXIE BROWN

BIRKENSTOCK “BOSTON SUPER GRIP” worn by DWYANE WADE

FUCK THE POPULATION “HEAVEN OR HELL PANTS” worn by JOE WILLIAMS

PRADA “MESH KNIT TOP” worn by DWYANE WADE

FROM A PENNY “LONG LIVE CAP” worn by DIJONAI CARRINGTON

NIKE AIR PRESTO “HELLO KITTY” worn by LIZ CAMBAGE

The post WHERE DO I COP? The 11 Best Pieces Featured on LeagueFits This Week (7/22) appeared first on SLAM.

This list is also featured in our special issue, SLAM Presents TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time. Shop here.

Check out the full list below to see who our number one is and where your favorite team ranks. We expect that there will be some disgruntled fans out there, but that’s what makes this fun, right?

No. 66-75

Last but certainly not least. From the 1997-98 Pacers who put up a fight against the Chicago Bulls’ “Last Dance” squad to the 2018-19 Raptors that made history in the 6.

READ HERE

No. 65-55

These squads set the foundation for greatness to come. The birth of the Celtics dynasty with Bill Russell to the 2004-2005 Phoenix Suns had the best record in the L.

READ HERE

No. 54-44

Rewriting history. The 2003-04 Pistons that ended the Lakers’ Finals run to Milwaukee’s first title.

READ HERE

No. 43-33

Heavyweights turned champions. From the 1983-84 Celtics that brought the ‘chip back to the Bean over LA to the 2011-12 Heat that won LeBron James his first ring.

READ HERE

No. 32-22

Tight spaces and pressure packed situations formed these teams into dynasties. From the 2001-02 Lakers completing the three-peat, to the Spurs squad that gave Tim Duncan his third ring.

READ HERE

No. 21-11

These squads made history. The 2015-16 Warriors that won 73 games to the Cavaliers team that upset them in that same Finals.

READ HERE

No. 10

Back to back. Miami became the first Eastern Conference team to repeat as champions since the “Last Dance” Bulls.

READ HERE

No. 9

At the height of their dominance in 2000-01, the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers generated one of the best postseason runs ever when they lost just one game in the 2001 playoffs.

READ HERE

No. 8

Paid in Full. The early 80’s were mostly dominated by the Lakers and Celtics, but the 1982-83 Sixers, led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, swept LA in the Finals.

READ HERE

No. 7

The first of six rings for Jordan, this Bulls squad redeemed themselves when they swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and then defeated the Lakers in five.

READ HERE

No. 6

A revenge tour and Magic’s first regular-season MVP, this “Showtime” Lakers team returned to the Finals after missing it the previous season.

READ HERE

No. 5

A coin flip in ’69 allowed the Bucks to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which brought a championship in his second season as he averaged over 30 points per game and earned MVP honors. Legendary.

READ HERE

No. 4

Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were flying high in the mid 80’s. Larry himself won his second Finals MVP trophy in ’86.

READ HERE

No. 3

The opening act before Showtime. The Lakers capped off a tremendous season and brought vindication to the franchise. Wilt Chamberlain was the Finals MVP, and Jerry West could finally feel like a winner.

READ HERE

No. 2

One of the most talented teams ever assembled in the L, the Warriors lost only a single game during the 2017 playoffs. Adding Kevin Durant made their 2016-17 squad unstoppable.

READ HERE

No. 1

Top 2 and they’re not 2. The 1995-96 Bulls weathered a perfect storm; getting Michael Jordan back in full form, adding Dennis Rodman, the Bulls won their fourth title.

READ HERE

Photos via Getty Images.

The post SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time: FULL LIST appeared first on SLAM.

The 22-year-old shot 61 percent from the field and 6-10 from three-point range to give the Heat their fifth straight win in the final week of the NBA season.

In a press conference after the game, Herro told reporters, “I’m playing the best I’ve ever played in my life.”

Herro is averaging 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game off the bench, making him a clear favorite for the sixth man of the year award. Lou Williams is the only other player to average at least 20 off the bench in the last 30 years.

As the season winds down to its final two regular-season games, the Heat are 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. With a playoff ticket already punched the Heat will end the season hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and traveling to Orlando to face the Magic Sunday.

The post Tyler Herro After Tying Dwyane Wade’s Scoring Record: ‘I’m Playing the Best I’ve Ever Played’ appeared first on SLAM.

With a team built around a lot of upcoming players, head coach Eric Spoelstra leans on his superstars, including Jimmy Butler, to make the plays needed to win. Butler is currently averaging 21.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assist on the season.

“I don’t dial him back. We have our team rules, and then there’s the Jimmy Butler rules,” Spoelstra said to Brady Hawk. “He can do whatever he wants because he can do some things I’ve never seen before–particularly when he’s on the weak side. The only guy you can compare it to is really when Dwyane [Wade] in his prime, would just be an incredible, instinctual playmaker off the ball. Jimmy can be that guy.”

The Miami Heat will look to extend their five-game winning streak on Wednesday as they matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The post Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler: ‘He Can Do Some Things I’ve Never Seen Before’ appeared first on SLAM.

As the son of three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade, Zaire has had to deal with naysayers, haters and negative energy his entire life. Different can be hard for people to accept. Many have tried to compare him to his father, or his former teammates at high school powerhouse Sierra Canyon. He’s heard it all. 

Wade admits that while it can be tough, he’s learned to ignore the noise and accept that his path is just different. “You may sit back [and] try to compare yourself to what somebody else is doing, but you got to sit back and realize that, you know, this is your journey, this is your path, you’re going to be different,” he says. 

After doing a post-grad year at Brewster Academy, Wade decided to “go the non-traditional route” and not attend college. He says that while “everybody assumed” he would be selected by the Stars (Dwyane became a co-owner of the Jazz earlier this year), he in fact was nervous and anxious about whether or not he was even going to get picked at all. Sharing the moment with his family, particularly his father, was special.

“He said to me after, You know, this is the first step to continuing the Wade legacy on the court. And that really meant a lot to me, to make him proud. I felt like over the past few years, sometimes I may have let them down with not being as successful as I should have been, or whatever, even if it wasn’t my fault. But just to have this moment, to see how proud he was, it just felt good.”

Z Wade has also been venturing into his own business pursuits. He founded his lifestyle brand, YNGDNA, three years ago with co-CEO Jalen Newsome. With a focus on sustainability, youth, health and fashion, YNGDNA has ventured into exclusive streetwear apparel as well as a recent collab with House of Kibaa, Electric Token and FACINGS on an eco-friendly collection of YNG Meta NFTs, which includes a one-of-one Meta avatar of Zaire Wade on the WAX blockchain. Whoever redeems it will get the chance to hop on NBA 2K and play against him. 

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With his pro career now underway and an innovative brand that’s taking on new and exciting projects, Zaire Wade is doing things his way. After all, different is the new wave.

The post How Zaire Wade is Following His Own Path in the G League and With a Collection of YNG Meta NFTs appeared first on SLAM.

Drake’s Certified Lover Boy is on, and Mitchell quietly sings along to “Love All” in between takes. The lyrics seem to echo a truth that’s reflective of his own journey. 

Lotta fallin’ outs help me build foundation…

Now in his fifth year in the NBA, Mitchell is on a mission to do something that’s never been done before in the Beehive State—win the franchise’s first NBA title.

“It’s not like this is a regular occurrence here [in Utah],” Mitchell says of winning a ’chip. “This isn’t like the Lakers where they have [17] of them. This is us. The team, the organization has never won one. So, how meaningful would that be? If you look at three or four years ago, Kawhi went to Toronto [and] that was a truly special moment for the country, for the team, for the organization. That excitement, we want to be the last team standing for many different reasons but that’s a big one as well—to be able to bring the first one here in history.” 

SLAM 235 featuring Donovan Mitchell is available now!

That’s always been the mission for Don since the minute he arrived in Salt Lake City as the No. 13 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft after two years at Louisville. While Mitchell has been a lead catalyst for the franchise’s success over the years, he’s also learned that it’s all about the work that it takes to get there. 

“I came into the League as a surprise,” he says. “I tell people all the time, it’s one thing to get drafted, but [it’s another] to be able to do this on a year-to-year basis, day-to-day. I think [that] is definitely what sets guys over the top. That’s my goal every year—to come out being the same player who gets better each year and you know what to expect coming from me, and I think that’s definitely what I’ve learned from my rookie year—the work. You gotta stick to it, the work doesn’t stop because you had one good season or one good game.”

Although his rookie campaign started on a slower note, that “surprise” came eight games in—he had back-to-back 20-plus point performances against Portland and Toronto, and by December, he dropped 41 points against the Pelicans, becoming the first rookie to score 40-plus points in a game since Blake Griffin did it in 2011, while also setting the franchise rookie scoring record. Two months later, Spida—a nickname he earned as a kid by a teammate’s father because of his long arms—paid homage to Vince Carter’s iconic 360 windmill dunk and snagged the 2018 Dunk Contest title. By the end of the season, Mitchell had led all rookies in scoring with 20.5 points per game, was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and was a runner-up for Rookie of the Year. 

And yet, even with all of his early success, Mitchell told SLAM in 2018 that he could “care less” about whether or not he won the award. What he did care about was making a “playoff push.” The Jazz advanced to the playoffs that year, and rookie Don seemed ready for the moment, popping off with a 27-point performance in Game 1 against the Thunder, and another 28 points in Game 2—his combined 55 points were the most ever by a shooting guard in the first two postseason games of their career, a record that once belonged to Michael Jordan (53). The Jazz advanced all the way to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost to Houston in five games. 

 Still, that was just the foundation, the first layer to the building blocks that Mitchell was establishing as a future All-Star and face of the franchise. Looking back on his first year, Mitchell does have a message for his younger self, though: 

“Slow down. I think just understanding the game and letting the game come to you,” he says when asked what he learned as a rookie. “You’re not always going to go get it every game, being able to kind of pace yourself for an 82-game season. I really don’t want to say much to my younger self because without those bumps in the road, without those mistakes, victories and success, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. Maybe if I learned some things earlier, I’d be better now, but I think for me, just being able to go through those mistakes, [going] through those things allows me to be the player I am today.”

This exclusive SLAM 235 cover featuring Spida is available only on SLAM Goods.

By his third year in the L, Mitchell’s game had only gotten better. He went from averaging 20.5 points as a rookie to having career-highs in nearly every category, including points (24.0), assists (4.3) and boards (4.4). His dunks had somehow gotten even more explosive, his layup package was more impressive and the behind-the-back dimes to teammate Rudy Gobert had become all too easy. 

Mitchell was named an All-Star for the first time in his career that season, and the Jazz ultimately embarked on a playoff run against Denver in the Orlando bubble. His numbers were astronomical. He broke Karl Malone’s previous franchise playoff scoring record by dropping 57 points in Game 1, which was also the third most points in playoff history. He followed that up with 51 points in Game 4. 

When he screamed, “I WANT THIS SH**!” that game, it was clear, especially then, that he truly did. After losing to the Nuggets in Game 7, an emotional Mitchell knew that yet another shortcoming was just the start to something great. 

“This is me scratching the surface,” he said after the game, per ESPN. “This ain’t the end. This is just the beginning.” 

Grab the top spot, like pardon my reach… 

The 2020-21 season marked new beginnings. Mitchell returned with a vengeance, averaging a career-high 26.4 points and 5.2 assists. He’d also added a deeper three-point shooting range to his bag, which—considering the fact that he was already equipped with absurd athleticism and elite playmaking abilities—made him that much more lethal. 

While an ankle sprain in April would force him to miss 16 games, the setback only led to a major comeback when he returned at the end of May, just in time for the playoffs. The Jazz, who had finished with a League-best record (52-20) for the first time in franchise history, as well as the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, took out Memphis in the first round in five games. Playoff Don was on a different type of time and made a statement early in the second round, dropping 45 points in Game 1 against the Clippers, followed by back-to-back-to-back 30-plus point performances in the next three games. The momentum was there, but for another consecutive year, it wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t watch basketball until Game 6 of the Finals,” Mitchell admits when asked how he felt emotionally after the elimination. “It just didn’t sit right with me. I felt like we had the opportunity to make it to the Finals, and for me, that was the first time I’d ever done that. It allowed me to sit back and approach the game differently, my training—obviously I was hurt, so I had to rehab, too, but I had to approach my whole summer differently.”

During the offseason, Mitchell let out his frustrations in the weight room and in on-court drills with trainer Chris Brickley. Those sessions became his escape, and the loss only added to his motivation.

“It adds fuel to the fire, it adds an element of, OK, we got to the second round, now how do we get to the conference finals? How do we get past that? We lost Game 7 two years ago in the first round, like, finding ways to level up and get better each year. If you let it absorb you, it can deter you from what your goal is, so for me, it’s being able to let it fuel my fire, fuel our fire as a team and go out there and improve in each category that I need to for myself, and the team as well.”

This season is another opportunity to run it back and build on what the Jazz have accomplished over the past few years. It’s still early, but they’ve been off to a solid start so far. As of this writing, they’re 8-3 with a No. 2 standing in the West. What’ll set them apart, Mitchell says, is how they perform when it counts.  

“We’re a pretty good team, [but] we’ve got to perform when it’s time. That’s no secret, that’s the biggest thing. We’re a good regular season team and we’ve had success in the playoffs, but we haven’t had the ultimate success. We haven’t gotten past the second round. That’s pretty much what we’re looking at ourselves [for]. Obviously, the external stuff is what it is, but internally, whatever you hear—multiply that times 10 and that’s what I’m thinking. You know what I mean? 

“Of course, we want to be able to make it past the second round, conference finals and Finals. So for me, that’s where it’s at for us. We’ve got to be able to do things the way that’ll work and we can’t skip steps throughout the year. We got to continue to go through what we’ve been going through, take care of what we need to take care of and we got to be ready.”

Woke up one day and it was all on me

If it comes down, it’s gon’ fall on me…

As for his own goals, Mitchell’s mindset has stayed the same since day 1. While he’s projected to have even better numbers than he did last year (according to Basketball Reference), it’s still not about individual accolades for him. 

“Unfortunately, I didn’t win Rookie of the Year [in 2018] and I didn’t make All-NBA last year, although I feel I should have, [but] it is what it is. For me, it’s all about winning. Winning takes care of everything in this League—if you’re able to win, you’re able to be top in the West, top in the NBA, everything else takes care of itself…For myself, it’s understanding that it’s not about you or the individual stuff, because you could be an individual award winner and not win a championship. The goal is to win a championship.” 

With Dwyane Wade in his corner as the new co-owner of the Jazz, Mitchell has been able to learn from someone who has reached the heights he’s trying to get to. 

“He’s just passing the game down, passing the knowledge down, and I appreciate that,” Mitchell says of Wade. “It doesn’t have to always be that way, that’s not always the case with guys. I ask a thousand questions and he’s always ready to answer it. There’s certain times where it’s like, Nah, bro, you know the answer. You need that, there’s definitely times for that, no matter how old you get or how experienced you get. There’s always times where it’s like, Figure it out. I think that’s why I’m thankful for him because he’s always able to keep it real.”

While on a press tour for his new memoir, DWYANE, Wade recalls the first time he met Mitchell, when he was playing against him. “I think I was in Cleveland at the time, and he was guarding me. I got a chance to size him up and I was like, He’s little,” he says, later adding, “but he was so explosive.”

When asked what advice he’d give to Mitchell about reaching the next level, Wade says, “Losing, it hurts, but it helps at the same time. He’s been knocked out of the playoffs, he’s had injuries. He has things to get that chip on his shoulder, he has experience…But, make sure that your effort every day is championship quality effort. Make sure you carry yourself as a champion, so that when you become one, when you get that opportunity, it’s not foreign to you. You know how to act, you know how to do it, you know how to respond to it.” 

Just as Mitchell embraces Salt Lake, they’ve shown him love right back. His impact is everywhere, from the sea of No. 45 jerseys in the crowd at Vivint Smart Home Arena to the way that crowd goes insane when he pulls up from three and nails one in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve had greats play for this organization. You got Karl Malone, John Stockton, so many legends that have played for this team. For us, that motivation, being the first one to do it, I think is definitely in our heads when we’re out there and competing. But, more importantly, we want to do it for each other, our coaches, our staff. That’s something that’s great, that we have that as a group. We’re connected. We’re locked in as a group and we want to be able to give our fans a show and bring one to Utah.” 

These SLAM 235 metal editions are available now. Shop here.

Portraits Atiba Jefferson.

The post Man on a Mission: Donovan Mitchell is Focused on Bringing Utah Its First-Ever NBA Title appeared first on SLAM.

That was just the beginning: over the next ten years, and with Wade’s trust, Metelus has captured and filmed him nearly everywhere he went: from working out with LeBron James during the lockout to going to Fashion Week. 

Over a decade’s worth of footage turned into Wade’s documentary, WADE: LIFE UNEXPECTED, which Bob directed. All the while, they’d also amassed hundreds of photographs over the years, many of which have now been included in Wade’s new photography memoir, Dwyane, which visually chronicles his life, his career both on and off-court, as well as special moments with his family and friends. 

“We just connected right away,” Wade says of Metelus over the phone. “And, like I said, once you connect with someone, once you have some trust in them in your private moments, they’re able to capture all kinds of things, you know, they’re able to capture moments of crying, moments of sadness, they’re able to capture it all and it’s real. I’m super thankful for, one, for when he came around, he had a camera on him. And then he took a photo, and that photo led to [where] we are today: we put out a documentary, and now we’re releasing a book. Big up to Bob for just continuing to create and giving me a platform, and I’m just taking it and putting it together.”

Wade also worked on the book with writer Justin Tinsley, and his narratives give detailed accounts of his memories and moments throughout his life. We won’t reveal too much, but just know that there’s some major gems in the book about him playing against the late-Kobe Bryant, working out with LeBron James the night before the 2013 NBA Finals against the Spurs, the Heatles era and even a breakdown of Wade’s approach to his game.

There’s also special moments and photos of Wade with his family, as well as a chapter titled titled “Postgame,” where the legend talks about his legacy and playing with, and against, players around the L: from James to Donovan Mitchell.

We recently caught up with Wade to talk about his memoir, the writing process and the special moments that are featured in the book.

SLAM: We know that Bob directed your documentary and has been photographing your life for a while now. Where did the idea for ‘Dwyane’ come about? 

WADE: Building a relationship with someone who gets the chance to get the personal moments, whether it’s videos or photos, that means you get a lot. And so Bob has been with me for the last 10-11 years. And he’s got a lot. And so we just went through the millions of photos we have and we picked a little more than 200 to kind of give my supporters and my friends and family and everybody who has supported me throughout this process a kind of visual memoir, not just give them the words. I want them to be able to see photos, to see private moments, I want them to kind of get into my psyche a little bit. You know, to see the moment when I’m a little nervous, or anxious. All these things.

SLAM: What was the writing process like for you? 

WADE: The writing process was hard. First, it was hard to pick between millions of photos that we had to try to narrow it down to go [in] a book. And then from there, after we get through that, now, you got to go through every photo and let it speak to you. So my writer, Justin Tinsley, we sat down over a period of time and just went through photos, and we went through the format and how we wanted this book to feel and sound…We really put a lot of thought into it. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely, you know, worthwhile.

SLAM: Is there a photo or memory from the book that stands out the most to you? 

WADE: It’s hard to pick one photo because I went through and picked 200. But, as a I say, every time I do look at the book, I find a different photo. And it speaks to me, right? So whatever photo [it] is, like yesterday, the first day that I was doing media, I kept turning to the page of the photo of [59th Street and Prairie Ave], the apartment complex I lived in. And just thinking about that little Dwyane and being in that house at the age of eight, nine years old and here we go, 30 years later. Look how my life has changed and developed. Certain moments just take you back to that moment. 

SLAM: What is it like for you, as a father, to look back at these photos of your children and watch them take on new heights, specifically with Zaire playing in the G League?

WADE: [Zaire] has been on this journey with me the entire time since I entered the NBA. He’s in every moment. His evolution and growth is what I’m excited about more [than] anything that I have done or anything I am doing. You know, it’s his time [and] we’re trying to, as a family, continue to prop [him] up, to give him opportunities [and] to continue to allow [him] to understand his abilities, and his power and all the things that he has. So, I’m a proud father. Zaire is also one of my best friends, so we talk all day [and] every time I do something he’s always like, ‘That’s another thing you did, you get further and further away from me, I’m trying to catch up. You keep adding stuff and making it harder and harder.’

SLAM: Zaire has been doing things in a different way than probably most people expected him to—not playing in college, going to the G League out of high school. What has it been like for you to see him follow his own path?

WADE: Yeah, that’s how it should be. People before you set a blueprint… The blueprint is basketball, he loves it. And so, the blueprint is business, he loves it. There’s blueprints out here: his father has one, his uncle LeBron, his uncle Carmelo, Chris Paul, all these guys have a blueprint. And so it’s up to him to look at the different blueprints and see which one fits him and make sure that he adds and brings his own style and flavor and vibe to what he’s trying to accomplish. And I’m all here for it. I’m here to support him. I’m here to give them all the answers. I’m here to tell him, ‘Hey, Z. Don’t go left right here, go right.’ I’m here to move buildings and stuff out his way so he can see his opportunities clearer, because I didn’t have that. I’m just super excited for my son for these next few years of his life, these are gonna be some of the best years of his life. And he’s doing it. Right now, he’s in the G League and every day, he’s waking up and he’s doing the work.

SLAM: There’s also a photo of Donovan Mitchell in the book. Can you talk about your relationship with him?

WADE: We’ve had, since he came into the NBA, a pretty good relationship. He was one of those young guys who reached out and wanted more knowledge…We have similar attributes in our game, so we just kind of connected from there. I’ve always been an open book, not only to Donovan but to any player in the NBA. I love being a mentor and now, not only am I a mentor and a big brother, I’m part of the ownership group in Utah now, so our relationship now has went to a level that, it doesn’t happen often. Like, this is a one-of-one kind of relationship that Donovan and I have…We both reach out and ask each other questions about things. I’m trying to learn Utah, the ownership and how to handle things better, and what better person to be able to communicate with than Donovan. 

SLAM: Do you remember the first time you two met?

WADE: The first time I met him [was] probably when we played against them. I think I was in Cleveland at the time, and he was guarding me and I got a chance to size him up and I was like, ‘He’s little.’ [laughs] I knew right away, just the way that he competed, the way he played the game, I saw, this kid has an opportunity to be good. Like I said, he was the one that was like, ‘Yo, let me get your number. Can I reach out to you? Could I call you?’ Stuff like that. It was a great first meeting.I’m 6-4 and I was like, ‘Let me see how big this kid is.’ And I was like, ‘Oh he’s little.’ You just size each other up—he was guarding me and I was like, ‘Yo, how tall is this dude?’ But he was so explosive. You would see highlights of it but you didn’t play against him, so you didn’t know…He went hard at me, man. I was a little older and he went hard at me. I love that about him.

SLAM: What have been some of the lessons, or advice that’d you give him about ascending his game and reaching the levels that you’ve accomplished? 

WADE: There’s different things that you have to reach: you have to reach an individual level of greatness that is different than most of the NBA…Donovan, over the course of time, he’s just been figuring it out. Figuring out how to be a leader, especially when you have the ball in your hand, you’re the one taking the shots. You gotta be a leader. And he’s learning all these things, all these things will help him. Losing, it hurts but it helps at the same time. He’s been knocked out of the playoffs, he’s had injuries. He has things to get that chip on his shoulder, he has experience. And so now, you know, some of it too is [it’s] gotta be the right matchups, be the right time, it’s a lot of things.

But, make sure that your effort every day is championship quality efforts. Make sure you carry yourself as a champion so that when you become one, when you get that opportunity, it’s not foreign to you. You know how to act, you know how to do it, you know how to respond to it. I’m excited that I get that front row seat courtside to watch him try to accomplish something that not many great basketball players have been able to accomplish.

Photo credit Bob Metelus.

The post Dwyane Wade On His New Memoir, Zaire Wade and Being a Mentor to Donovan Mitchell appeared first on SLAM.

Although he had quite a few solid college offers to play basketball, Wade decided to skip college and go straight to the G League. 

Over the weekend, the 2021 G League draft took place, where a variety of prospects would look to join a team en route to the NBA. 

Wade was drafted by the Salt Lake City Stars No. 10 overall, giving him the opportunity to get professional experience at a young age. 

This pick wasn’t surprising, as his father is now part owner of the Utah Jazz. 

Wade isn’t eligible to play in the NBA this season, so he will spend all of his time with the Stars. If he plays well, he’ll have the opportunity to be selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

The post Zaire Wade Joins Salt Lake City Stars in G League on Unique Path to NBA appeared first on SLAM.

Thirteen All-Star appearances. Eight-time All-NBA. Three-time NBA champion. One Finals MVP. One scoring title. Dwyane Wade arrived to the NBA on June 26, 2003 with little fanfare that night, relatively speaking, of course.

With LeBron James stepping into The Theater at Madison Square Garden (where the draft was held annually for 10 consecutive years, starting in 2001) touted as the greatest HS prospect ever and Carmelo Anthony having led Syracuse to a national title as a freshman, Wade’s buzz after an underrated collegiate career at Marquette was somewhere in their shadows at the time. By the end of his rookie season, though, he had proven himself as a tier-one hooper and a certified bucket-getter. And from then on, he rose to worldwide superstardom and is now a multifaceted entrepreneur (including an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz) and showman. 

We hopped on a Zoom call with Wade in early June to take a trip down memory lane, discussing his career, the impact the ’03 draft class had on and off the court as well as his most recent endeavors.    

SLAM: Your rookie season in Miami, you guys were able to make a run into the second round of the playoffs while you quickly became a household name after coming into the draft with not as much love. Looking back on it, what was it like, to experience that type of early—and maybe unexpected—success?   

WADE: We sucked when I first got in. The year before I got drafted, Caron Butler could’ve won Rookie of the Year. I think he came in second or third behind Amar’e [Stoudemire] and Yao [Ming]. They had won 25 games the year before Udonis [Haslem] and I came in. And we wasn’t good to start the year off. We started off 0-7. We were terrible. And eventually we just kept working. We kept believing in each other. We kept getting closer as a unit and started to figure it out. Lamar Odom was on that team. He was the star player on that team. Skip to My Lou [Rafer Alston] was the point guard on that team. Eddie Jones was a vet. Brian Grant. We had some guys on there that were good guys but we wasn’t that good. And eventually we worked it to a point where we started becoming dominant at home. We started really beating people at home and we learned how to win a little bit on the road. And so, we end up making it to the playoffs and end up getting a fourth seed because of how everything shaped out at the last minute. Shout out to Jalen Rose for making a shot in Milwaukee that gave us the fourth seed because they beat the Bucks on, like, the last night.

And I just remember going in there and was like, Yo, this is what I’ve always heard about. This is what I always wanted to get to! The playoffs is where you make your name. This is where it starts—I build. So, I just remember going into it, like, Yo, I’m about to give it everything I got! The first playoff series was against Baron Davis. I had to go against BD. I’m talking about a real good BD. In the prime BD. We beat them in seven, and then we went against Indiana, who at that time, the Pacers could’ve been champions. Everyone thought the Pacers was going to be champions if everything don’t go down the way it went with the brawl in Detroit. They had a team that can go. So, to take them six games, to average 20 points a game in that series, for me, I was like, Oh, young fella rise! I felt coming out of that series, like, Oh, I’m about to—I’m gonna be a good NBA player. I’ve seen it. I know. Now it’s just about putting the work in.

SLAM: Do you remember any specific game or moment that you can pinpoint as the exact time when you realized that you were in the midst of taking off that rookie season? 

WADE: I think what switched my mindset was after All-Star [Weekend]. I remember going to All-Star and that was the first time when I felt like the third wheel. When we were there and it was all about Melo and it was all about Bron. And no hate [or] nothing to them, because they deserved all of it, but I was sitting there and I was having a pretty good year at that point in Miami—I was exciting, I was doing some cool stuff—but nobody [was speaking about me], people were like, Hey, can you spell your name? I’m like, Still?! Like, I’ve been doing this since I was in kindergarten, spelling my name. I just remember coming back from that All-Star and I just clicked into, like, another person. I remember telling Lamar Odom, Yo, you’re going to see a different me this second half of the season. And so I started building that confidence. I started having games where I put up a couple of 30-point games back-to-back-to-back. I started doing all these things, it was just about trying to do it consistently. Once I was able to consistently do it, I knew I was going to be a pretty good player. But once I performed in the playoff level and against the teams and the talent—Ron Artest was guarding me in that second round; I remember one time I blew by Ron Artest and he was hitting me, he was doing all this, and I was able to take the hits. I was like, Oh. Oh yeah. You here! My confidence just kept going.

SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT AVAILABLE NOW!

SLAM: By year three, you had already captured your first NBA championship. At the time, LeBron had just made the playoffs for the first time, Bosh had not even been to the playoffs at all, and Carmelo hadn’t been able to get out of the first round yet. What was it like looking around at your ’03 peers and seeing how far you’d been able to go in comparison to their first three years?  

 WADE: It was just like, Let me try to beat these guys to it. I had the team that they didn’t have at that point. I had the team that was built to win a championship. Shout out to the Miami Heat and Pat Riley for making that big move to bring in Shaq. And then eventually Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, J Will, James Posey. We had a squad. Those guys didn’t have that kind of team yet. Bron didn’t have that. Melo didn’t have that. And CB definitely didn’t have it at the time in Toronto. So, for me, I was like, Let me get to this now! Before these guys come in and take it. Let me get me a ring first. So, I just had the opportunity before those guys, and I took advantage of that opportunity in 2006. It was a total team effort.

But as growing into the leader of that team, I had to do more than I knew I could do to help us achieve that. And shout out to Shaq, and UD, and Posey, and GP, and all these guys who played their role to a T that allowed me to be able to perform at that level—the defensive role, the leadership role, Shaq getting double-teamed, all these kind of things helped me go to a different level. I was just happy I got a chance to get that first championship before LeBron got in here and started hogging all the Finals appearances [laughs].

SLAM: A few years later, the three biggest names in the ’03 draft class decide to team up when LeBron and CB joined you in Miami. People coined it the start of “superteams” but in reality, it changed forever the way teams were put together and the way players went about it. How do you look back at that monumental time a decade later?

WADE: We knew it in that moment. We didn’t know what it was going to be or what it was going to look like, but we knew that we were shifting the culture. And it’s not even the superteams. Everyone wants to make this about superteams. It’s only the fact that players started controlling the destiny of putting these teams together because ownership was putting together these teams for years. And then we just shifted the power a little bit. Once again, a lot of credit goes to LeBron, and Leon Rose and my agent [and Chris’ agent] Henry Thomas for understanding this vision, and putting us in a situation where we all were set up to control our own destiny. We signed that three-year deal and that put us in a position to control our own destiny. From there, we knew we were shifting the culture. We just didn’t know what was going to happen—we didn’t know that Kevin Durant was going to go to Golden State later. We didn’t know these things were going to happen, but we did know that, Hey, we’re doing something special. And we knew in 10, 20 years we’d be able to look back and be like, Yo, that was a key moment, a pivotal moment. So, it’s great to see. It’s great to see players have power, because they should. They are the talent. They’re the ones. I’m on the other side now. And being on the other side [ownership], I still want players to have the power. I want them to understand what it means to have that kind of power, and use it for what it is that they want to get because organizations, we’re going to get out of the players what we want to get out of them. So you want the players to get out of this game what they deserve as well. So I’m all for it.

SLAM: Not everyone understood the vision at the time, though. There was a lot of criticism that came from it back then. What was it like adjusting to the newfound hate?    

WADE: We didn’t know the media, and the fan base, the hate was going to come the way it did. We definitely didn’t prepare for that. We knew it wasn’t going to be the most popular decision but didn’t know it was going to be the most unpopular decision. We didn’t really prepare for that. And we couldn’t. So, we had to go through all of that in real-time. We all went from being kind of loved—Chris ain’t ruffle no feathers in Toronto, he was quiet. I didn’t ruffle no feathers in Miami, I was quiet. And LeBron was LeBron and loved. And, so, we get all together, and everyone is like, Hate [it]! And you’re like, Wait a minute. Where is this coming from? But we still had a job to do…For us, I look back and I say, I’m so glad that three Black young men were able to sit down and make that decision. And by making that decision, shifted the culture.

SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT AVAILABLE NOW!

SLAM: There was that two-year period where you ended up playing for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. How do you remember that small but very different chapter of your life?

WADE: I remember it very well. It’s a part of it. You can’t just think about all the good and not think about anything else. And not saying that it wasn’t good because it was something I wanted to do once everything broke down in Miami the way it did. I never wanted to leave Miami. That was never my goal. But once we broke down in negotiations, I decided to do something for myself. And to go back home and play, that will always be one of my favorite moments. When I got called out and it said, Six-four guard, from Chicago, Illinois, Dwyane Wade—I will never forget that. That moment was so powerful for me. I grew up watching this team. I grew up wanting to be an NBA player because of this team. And now I’m wearing this jersey and I’m here. And also, too, that was the last time the Bulls went in to the playoffs. Shout out to us once again for doing our job and getting to the playoffs. [Rajon] Rondo don’t get that injury, we’re having a different conversation right now.

That year, it was fun. I had a great time. I built a great relationship with my brother Jimmy [Butler]. I got a chance to see my mom and [she] got a chance to see me play up close and personal every home game. I got a chance to be there the last year of my agent’s life in Chicago. If I was in Miami, I would have never got the opportunity to do that. So, there was a lot of great things that came out of me being there that last year. And then it led me to Cleveland.

Once Jimmy got traded and I got bought out, I decided to give it one last hurrah to try to go compete for a championship, and I wanted to do it with my brother who I competed for four other championships with. We thought we had a good chance. We know Golden State was unbelievable and it was going to be hard to beat them regardless. We thought we put together a good team to be able to do that, [but] management thought different, and so they broke us up before we had an opportunity to go compete for a championship together. But I enjoyed my time away from Miami because I got a chance to experience the NBA in a way—I only knew one team, I only knew one way, so I got a chance to get out there and kind of experience the NBA in a different way. I use those experiences til this day.

SLAM: You’ve mentioned your agent Henry Thomas a couple of times. He was the only agent you ever had for those first 15 years of your career before he passed away in 2018. How did his passing impact the tail end of your career?

WADE: That was hard. It’s still hard. Even right now, I get emotional just thinking about it. I remember not wanting to play basketball no more. At that time, things in Cleveland was going the way they were going—we weren’t riding that high wave no more. I was dealing with a loss, a potential loss, throughout that time, that I never experienced before. So, it was hard for me.

Me and Hank, we connected so much from the game of basketball. Our love of the game of basketball was our connection. And once I knew he wasn’t going to be around no more, I lost a piece of me from the connection to basketball. I really wanted that to be my last season. I really didn’t want to play another year after I got traded back to Miami. Shout out once again to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ management for putting me in a good place, knowing everything I was dealing with. When they decided to make the change with the team, they asked me did I want to go back to Miami. They had worked out a trade—if I accepted, I could go back. And it was the perfect thing for me at the time. I needed to be back with family. I got a chance to go back and it was great. It was great for me to get a chance to get back and bring some excitement and some life back to that community, [and] be home with my family. But basketball wasn’t the same for me no more. Even that last year, I played and did my one last dance, and it was incredible—to see the response and just the ovations and the love that I got—but the game was never the same. When Kobe retired, the game wasn’t the same for me anymore. When my agent passed away, the game wasn’t the same anymore.

SLAM: You have your own wine company. You’re now part of the Utah Jazz’s ownership group. You founded a multicultural marketing agency with CAA. And now you are the TV host of a primetime gameshow, The Cube on TBS. How did that last one find itself in front of you?

WADE: I dreamed of going to the NBA. I prayed many nights that hopefully I got that opportunity. But everything else since then has just been nothing but whipped cream and cherries and sprinkles. Once I retired, one thing I did do out here in L.A., I went to every studio, every streaming service, I went and sat down with everybody about, like, Hey, I’ve started my own production company. I really want to get into the storytelling space. I really want to get into the scripted, non-scripted space. And an opportunity came to me about The Cube. The Cube was successful in the UK for 11, going on 12 years. And they wanted to adapt the game show over here…We wanted to bring something that people can do stuff for communities with. And, so, I was like, Cool, I’m an EP! This would be my first thing, that I will be Executive Producer on for [my production company] 59th & Prairie. I’m excited! And they were like, So, yeah, we also want you to host it. And I’m like, Alright, stop. I don’t want to host [laughs]. And [eventually] I just decided to do it because the one thing is when I can control something and I’m fearful of it, I have to do it. I can’t sleep good at night if I know that I have the ability to control this but I’m afraid and I won’t do it. I was afraid of doing it because I’ve never done it before. And I just said, You know what? Let me give this a try. I put the work in and hopefully you guys get a chance to follow us.

Hopefully we’re on for 10 years. Hopefully we have as much success as The Cube has in the UK—whether I’m the host or not. Whether I’m good or not. Hopefully the show can continue to keep going and we can continue to change the lives of people’s families—and have some fun and some joy while doing it.

SLAM: You mentioned putting the work in—did that involve taking classes or extra training sessions?

WADE: I started putting the work in—I had my own vocal and speech coach. I started putting the work in on myself because there was a lot of things I needed to work on, a lot of things I needed to clear up. I’m from Chicago [and] my family is from Jackson, Mississippi—I had this real southern accent. Real thick. Where I come from in Chicago, we don’t follow through with our words. We may say a word and we say bet—we don’t say best. We don’t finish, we don’t follow through. So, I was like, If I’m gonna get on TV, I gotta work on myself. I did that first and then this opportunity came, and I was already months into that, then they gave me a hosting coach to teach me how to host…I spent weeks in my house, in the basement, going over what these games could be. Going over how to talk to the camera, going over the rules.

I put in a lot of work and a lot of hours to try to hopefully bring something to television that people can enjoy.

GET YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT NOW!

Photos via Getty Images.

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Wade quietly strolled along the makeshift memorial fence, paying his respects to the photos of victims and those still missing. The three-time NBA champ also spoke with and thanked the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team before they began their shifts Thursday afternoon.

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According to Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the death toll has risen to 64 as of Thursday, with more than 76 individuals unaccounted for.

Wade is the latest Heat star to visit the Surfside site. On the morning of the tragedy, Tyler Herro and multiple Miami coaches brought aid items, food and water to victims and rescue personnel. Heat veteran and legend Udonis Haslem visited hours later and center Bam Adebayo visited the memorial on July 2nd.

The post Dwyane Wade Visits South Florida Collapse Site, Meets With Search Team appeared first on SLAM.

So here it is: 100 pages that capture 2003’s best players, sneakers, outfits, accomplishments, and everlasting impact on not just basketball, but on sports in general. While we’re not gonna explicitly say that ’03 is the numero uno, we will say that those 12 calendar months changed everything in SLAM’s world.

SLAM Presents ’03 Draft available now!

This special issue is also available in an exclusive gold metal edition. Only 94 copies are available in gold. Shop here.

Crank some 50 or Hov, throw on your dopest throwback, and get your copy of SLAM Presents the ’03 Draft on SLAMgoods.com.

The post SLAM Presents ’03 Draft is OUT NOW! appeared first on SLAM.

According to Drew Shiller of Warriors Outsiders, Dwyane Wade had nothing but good things to say about Curry and his offensive dominance of late.

“Fear. You have a little fear not knowing what he’s gonna do…He has an amazing handle. When a guy can shoot from anywhere on the floor, when he shoots going left and he shoots going right…He’s just impossible to guard.”

Curry can truly do a little bit of anything offensively. Known for being perhaps the best shooter in NBA history, he’s averaged 31.3 points per game this season while shooting .426 from beyond the arc on 12.1 attempts.

The post Dwyane Wade Calls Steph Curry Impossible To Guard appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, who retired from the league in 2019, joins forces with Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley, who purchased a majority stake in the Jazz at the end of 2020. Accel partner and investor Ryan Sweeney, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and the Miller family will all be part of Utah’s ownership group as well.

“As a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor, I bring a lot to this partnership outside of my basketball experience,” Wade said. “I’m excited to help take the Utah Jazz to the next level.”

Smith and the Jazz are obviously thrilled to add Wade to their ownership group, who Miami Heat governor Micky Arison admitted had turned down an offer to purchase an ownership stake in the Heat following his retirement.

“Dwyane is not only a basketball legend, he is also a great leader, businessman, and human being,” Smith says.

“As we continue to build on the incredible legacy of the Utah Jazz franchise, we are excited to add Dwyane’s experience and expertise to the equation. Utah is an amazing place and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the future of the franchise and the future of this state. Dwyane’s influence will be important to both.”

“Partnering with Ryan and the Utah Jazz is the perfect fit as we share the same vision and values,” Wade said. “Not only is this group focused on building a championship franchise, they are also committed to using their platform to do good and actively create a more inclusive, equitable world. We share a lot of the same goals and are trying to go the same places in life.”

The post NBA Legend Dwayne Wade Purchases Ownership Stake in Utah Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

How do you capture the life of legend? Someone who has transcended the game, shifted the culture, impacted those around the world. A legend is a person even when they’re not doing legendary things, but when their resume includes winning three NBA Championships and holding the Heat’s all-time record in points, assists and steals, capturing the entirety of their journey, and all of the moments that led to all of those accolades, is no easy feat.

There are trials and tribulations, injury hardship, fatherhood, and marriage. Even for a legend, life can be unexpected.

Bobby Metelus spent ten years documenting the life of superstar Dwyane Wade, capturing footage that would eventually become the feature-film documentary, WADE: LIFE UNEXPECTED. The film follows the Flash as he looks back at every part of his life, from growing up in Chicago to getting drafted by the Heat as the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and his journey since then.   

Directed by Metelus, the film reveals who the legend is even when the ball stops bouncing. 

“You have to never forget that when you’re shooting a legend, you’re still shooting a person. That’s why I say one day at a time because we all do everything one day at a time,” Bobby says over ZOOM in March. “I’ve been able to let a legend be seen in his natural habitat.The moment can’t get too big for you, no matter who is in the room. To me, that’s my schtick. Once I get into a room, no one knows I’m there sometimes.”

Chronicling the life of a 13x All-Star takes paramounts of trust and a level of comfortability that’s been built over time. Bobby and D-Wade go way back. 

The two met in 2008 through Wade’s assistant, Lisa, who Bobby was just starting to date at the time. After the Heat lost to Dallas during the 2011 NBA Finals, Wade jetted off to Milan with his family and Bobby, who brought his camera along with him to take photographs. While on another trip to Paris, Wade’s Twitter and email accounts got hacked, and Bobby recorded him talking directly into the camera. This was the first time he began experimenting with video, and he hasn’t put his camera down since. 

Bobby quickly became Wade’s go-to guy whenever he wanted a moment to be captured. When Wade and LeBron James were working out in the summer during the NBA lockout, Bobby was there to film it. When Wade flew to China for a Gatorade event, he was there, too. Fashion Week? Bobby was there. Another workout with ‘Bron and Mario Chalmers? Yeah, Bobby captured the whole session. 

“I’ll never forget when I walked in and I was so nervous I ain’t going to lie,” he says. “ It’s not an event it’s literally just capturing life at this moment and it wasn’t like we were on vacation it was different. I’ll never forget he sees me and was like “oh my guy is here!”. From that moment on, every time he needs something, he knows I’m not going to waste his time. You know it’s a familiarity level, being comfortable, so it’s easy for us and that’s kind of been our story.” 

At the time, neither Bobby nor Wade had any intentions of using the footage for a documentary. It wasn’t until Wade saw Kobe Bryant’s documentary, “Muse” that he starting bringing up the idea of creating his own film. Bobby had never done a film before, having only dabbled with that type of cinematography while doing a feature on Chris Paul in 2015. 

“I’m very confident in who I am but I was like, ‘Do you want me to do this with someone else or individually?’” Bobby says. “[Wade] was like, ‘The only person who could do this is you, you’ve seen everything.’ I was like you know what, you right, you right.”

Bobby quickly began putting a team together, and spent three weeks going through ten years of archived photos and videos to create a teaser for the documentary. Then, at the suggestion of Lisa, he set up meetings with production companies to assist with the film, ultimately partnering with Imagine Productions. While Bobby had “been in the game a little bit” and worked with NBA players such as Wade, Paul, Jimmy Butler and Carmelo Anthony, he found himself now talking to experts in filmmaking and sports documentaries. 

With D-Wade’s trust, and tens years worth of footage, even the production companies knew Bobby was the man for the job.

“They said, “You already got a handle on this, you know this more than anybody. We just want to help you make it.” 

D.Wade: Life Unexpected reveals the person behind the championships, the accomplishments and the accolades. The film is honest and real—it includes footage from multiple three hour “therapy sessions” that Wade had with Bobby, completely unfiltered, where he discusses his childhood, his marriage with Gabrielle Union, supporting his daughter, Zaya, and retiring from the game.

When the film premiered last year during All-Star weekend in Chicago, Wade’s loved ones, friends, Miami Heat teammates and even Pat Riley all came out to support. Bobby remembers being so nervous that night. Having spent years capturing one person’s life, and all the people that are a part of it, he wanted everyone to be happy with the final product, and to feel like they had a chance to tell their truth. 

When the credits rolled, Bobby felt like had done something truly special, monumental even.

“At that moment, I might have seen it like five, six, seven or eight billion times, but watch it with everyone else for the first time, aw man, it was a labor of love [and] a moment of accomplishment. I havn’t won an NBA championship or anything like that but I felt real proud to do something like that with him.” 

In life, things eventually come full circle. Bobby, who was born in raised in South Florida, knows how much Wade has impacted his home state and the entire world. After all, before he was a filmmaker, he was a fan who would cheer on the Heat and their standout shooting guard, wearing the same shirt every single game, hoping it would spark some good luck. It was unexpected, but that same fan became the very person that Wade trusts to tell his story. 

“I tell Dwyane, he helped me understand that legends are real, and legends are people too.”

—

D.WADE: Life Unexpected—Watch the film now on ESPN+

For a decade, Dwyane Wade documented his life and career with an all-access film crew. Stream the candid portrait of one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Stream now on ESPN+

The post Capturing The Life Of A Legend: Stream Dwyane Wade’s Documentary on ESPN+ appeared first on SLAM.

He leads all rookies in scoring to this point and has earned a spot in the starting lineup for the Timberwolves. Edwards is currently averaging 14.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. 

Edwards recently spoke to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and talked about how he watches Dwyane Wade film quite a bit to add new pieces to his game. 

“He’s one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play so if I can mimic him…”

Wade is a fan of Edwards and went to Twitter to express his approval of his game and wished him the best of luck. 

Anthony Edwards clearly has high expectations for himself looking up to guys like Dwyane Wade. As he continues to develop, he could become the best player on the Minnesota roster in a few years. 

The post Dwyane Wade On Anthony Edwards: ‘I Would Love To See Ant-Man Set A Higher Bar Than I Have’ appeared first on SLAM.

Garland, an early candidate for Most Improved Player, has certainly raised eyebrows with an increased aggressiveness offensively and a skillset that fits perfectly with the modern era of guards. However, Sexton remains the Cavaliers’ most consistent scorer, a role that he’s held for at least the past two seasons.

The third-year guard out of Alabama is averaging a career-high 26.0 points per contest six games into the 2020-21 season after averaging 20.6 points per game in the 2019-20 season.

What’s more, Sexton is doing so with extreme efficiency, shooting .556 from the field, .550 from 3-point range and .806 from the free-throw line.

With numbers like those, it makes sense that Sexton continues to gain the respect of the league at large. Even NBA legends, like future Hall of Fame inductee Dwyane Wade have taken notice of Sexton, saying to “keep an eye on” the Young Bull.

As Wade writes, Sexton is certainly coming into his own, with the guard’s decision-making, defense and passing ability improving as well; he’s averaging a career-high 3.7 assists and career-low 1.8 turnovers per game this season as well.

The game appears to have slowed down tremendously for speedy Sexton, which has already spelled trouble for the league.

The post Dwyane Wade: ‘Keep An Eye On’ Collin Sexton appeared first on SLAM.

In fact, Wade believes that Edwards can be better than he was, advocating for the 19-year-old to be the first overall pick.

These comments came after Edwards put himself in the same class as Wade, saying that he believes he can dominate in the way of Wade or an even better version of him.

Both players excel at creating space and attacking the rim with similar physiques and a downhill style, showing the playmaking ability be facilitators for their squad.

Tom Crean, who coached both Wade and Edwards in college, believes Edwards’ attitude as a teammate and his intangibles are similar to Wade’s.

What makes it possible for Edwards to be better than Wade is his range and touch from three-point range. Wade was never able to become a proficient three-point shooter over his 16-year career. Edwards only shot 29.4 percent from deep at Georgia, but some have said his inefficiency was caused by poor shot selection.

The post Dwyane Wade: Anthony Edwards ‘Can Be Better [Than Me]’ appeared first on SLAM.

Averaging 19.1 points per game as a freshman at the University of Georgia, Edwards showed off a skillset that has had plenty of scouts salivating.

His shot-creation, downhill attack, three-level scoring, playmaking potential and athleticism are the stuff that prototypical NBA wings are made out of. Although he lacks experience and there are questions about both his shot-selection and ability to maintain his defensive intensity, it’s clear why he’s considered one of the best draft prospects.

Edwards’ coach at Georgia, Tom Crean, even went as far as to compare Edwards to Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo (who he also coached in college). Crean didn’t compare Edwards to those two — a future Hall of Famer and a two-time All-Star — solely because of his talent and upside though.

He makes that comparison because of his camaraderie with his teammates and ability to empathize with others; his intangibles.

Per Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo:

The thing that’s a separator for me, if I’ve got to sum it up, outside of all the talent and upside, is that Anthony is one of the greatest teammates I’ve had the privilege of coaching. The way he cares about others, how engaging and involved he is with them. For a young man, he’s got an incredible level of empathy. I don’t try to make comparisons so much when I’ve coached Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo. But when you look at their talent level mixed with what kind of teammates they are, what kind of empathy they have as human beings, that’s where I see tremendous similarities [to Anthony].

If Edwards manages to fall somewhere between Wade and Oladipo in terms of career accomplishments and franchise value, the team that drafts him will walk away feeling like a winner.

The post Anthony Edwards’ College Coach Compares Him To Dwyane Wade appeared first on SLAM.

The Social Change Fund worked in collaboration with Chopra Global to team up with organizations hard at work serving large minority populations, including Teach for America, DonorsChoose and HBCU Heroes.

“Teachers have the essential role of helping to shape the minds of the next generation and our future leaders, and given the challenging year we’ve had, this partnership is more important than ever,” Anthony said in a formal press release.

The admirable collaboration is the latest in a long line of efforts that NBA players, led in large part by active veterans like Paul and Anthony, have embarked upon this year.

The organizations will provide teachers with access to self-care and mindfulness resources, including Chopra Global’s Meditation and Well-Being app geared toward enhancing the mental health and reducing the stress of its users.

“Equipping our teachers with this tool to assist them in that journey is imperative,” Paul said.

The post The Social Change Fund Partners with Chopra Global to Provide Support for Teachers appeared first on SLAM.

Interestingly enough, Dwyane Wade—who starred beside LeBron for four seasons in Miami—agreed with Perkins.

Even with Wade concurring with Perkins, the opinion is a bit controversial considering a couple of superstar teammates that LeBron has played with.

First, there’s Wade himself, whose athleticism, defensive ability, playmaking and friendship with LeBron made them the most dangerous duo in the league while they played for the Heat. Oftentimes, either one of them could play the part of closer and they gave opposing teams headaches with their combination of physical prowess and unselfishness.

Next, LeBron would return to the Cleveland Cavaliers to play beside Kyrie Irving. Irving was everything that LeBron wasn’t offensively; shifty, a pure shooter who loved to pour on points, and one of the greatest ball-handlers the league has ever seen. Without Irving’s skillset, the Cavaliers might never have won an NBA championship in 2016.

Davis, who is now LeBron’s third All-NBA tag team partner, primarily differs from Wade and Kyrie in that he’s the only big man of the bunch. He can score from anywhere on the floor, while also playing elite defense. Best of all, like Wade, Davis comfortable with both following and leading. At this point in LeBron’s career, Davis is exactly the type of player he needs beside him; young, coachable, extremely athletic, and a dynamic scorer.

Many would probably say that Wade and Davis are on equal footing when comparing LeBron’s superstar teammates. However, what can’t be argued is how well Davis currently complements LeBron, with the duo approaching the doorstep of an NBA championshp.

The post Wade: Anthony Davis Complements LeBron Better Than Any Teammate He’s Had appeared first on SLAM.

—

Along with a group of philanthropists and entrepreneurs, NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade have launched the Social Change Fund, which aims to support critical and timely issues impacting the Black community.

Here’s the mission statement from the fund’s website: “Our mission is to invest in and support organizations that are working to liberate Black people and advocate for indigenous people and communities of color through the lens of policy solutions, community representation and narrative change. Our partner organizations work to accelerate social change and sustainably build a fair, equitable society.”

Paul, Wade and Anthony have long been outspoken about systemic racism, police brutality, criminal justice reform and more. They have been leaders throughout the Black Lives Matter movement, using their respective platforms to continue to push for change.

“The Social Change Fund will help advance racial equality and opportunity,” said Paul, per the press release. “We will unite with other individuals who share our vision and commitment to use our collective voices and resources to advocate for change and foster a more equitable future.”

“The magnitude of racial inequality is staggering with Black lives socially, politically and economically marginalized,” added Wade. “We are committed to supporting organizations that directly represent and benefit the Black community with the Social Change Fund. Our goal is to create a pathway for inclusion and success by deploying the necessary funds and resources to invest in long-term change.”

“When all else fails to organize us, conditions will,” Anthony said. “We established the Social Change Fund to invest in and support organizations working to champion criminal justice reform, enact policy solutions, and advocate for the human rights of all Black lives now and for generations to come. I stand for everything this Fund and its beneficiaries support and will not stop pushing for progress until we see an end to the systemic racism that the Black community has faced for too long. We will keep on pushing. We will not lose focus.”

Melo recently served as the Guest Editor-in-Chief of SLAM’s #ItStopsNow issue focused on social justice and activism as seen through the lens of basketball. He appears on the cover (below) with his son Kiyan.

100 percent of proceeds from the magazine will be donated to the Social Change Fund.  Grab your copy here.

For more information on the Social Change Fund, visit their website.

The post Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade Launch ‘Social Change Fund’ appeared first on SLAM.

Gordon put out a “diss” track in response to Wade’s inexplicably low score as a judge during February’s controversial dunk contest.

The 24-year-old Orlando Magic forward says everything is cool between the two of them.

Per ESPN:

Wade was one of three judges — along with Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen and actor Chadwick Boseman — who gave Gordon a score of 9 during the dunk-off, resulting in Gordon losing the title to Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr.

“I hear that and I kinda just am like, I think that was a response to the diss track without going back into the studio,” Gordon said. “So I take it with a little pinch of salt. But it’s really cool, man. Me and D-Wade, we talked a little bit about it — he told me he liked the song; I told him I liked his wine. So everything’s good.”

Gordon, 24, said making the song helped him process the event.

“People would ask me for it, so I just gave the people what they wanted, just my perspective,” he said. “I had to talk a lot about my opinion and my perspective on the dunk contest, so I thought this was a fun, creative, expressive, uplifting way to voice my opinion and tell the world what I was going through and what I was seeing on that day.”

Related Pat Riley: Heat Drafted Dwyane Wade after a ‘Horrible Workout’

The post Aaron Gordon: No Beef With Dwyane Wade Following Diss Track appeared first on SLAM.

Riley says the franchise had more than enough information to convince them that picking Wade fifth overall was the right decision.

Player workouts may be shelved because of the NBA’s current hiatus due to the coronavirus global pandemic.

Per The South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

“I always go back to the Dwyane Wade workout,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “He had a horrible workout. We still drafted him.”

As part of pandemic precautions, individual team workouts and in-person draft interviews were halted by the NFL. For the NBA, it is possible the process never starts before draft time, whether that remains June 25 as scheduled, or sometime after Aug. 1, as has become the new preferred approach.

“The body of work and all the interviews and everything a player’s done will transcend a bad workout, a nervous workout, a poor interview,” Riley said. “Because by the time they come in, we have enough information. It would really take something to change that.

“That player that we really like and maybe we want to draft,” Riley said, “it would take something really bad for us to maybe not draft him.”

Related Pat Riley: Dwyane Wade ‘Was Better’ Than Kobe Bryant in 2006

The post Pat Riley: Heat Drafted Dwyane Wade after a ‘Horrible Workout’ appeared first on SLAM.

James, who scored 45 points in a historic Game 6 performance against the Celtics that pushed the Heat into the championship round, said it might’ve been the “quickest breakup in basketball history” had things gone south during a forty-five minute Instagram Live chat with fans Thursday night.

LeBron added that his legacy would “take a huge, huge hit” had Pat Riley broken up the squad.

Per The Miami Herald and ESPN:

“My mentality was if we lose, [Miami Heat president] Pat Riley may break us all up,” James said. “And I don’t want that. It might be the quickest breakup in basketball history. Not only might they break it all up, but my legacy is going to take a huge, huge hit if I don’t go out here and perform at an all-time high.”

The Heat won the series in seven games and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win the franchise’s second NBA title. James was named the NBA Finals MVP.

The Heat won the 2013 NBA championship in seven games over the San Antonio Spurs, marked by Ray Allen’s 3-pointer in Game 6 that flipped momentum to the Heat as they faced elimination.

“Win, lose or draw, I had to be focused. I had to lock in and lead us to victory,” James said Thursday. “Didn’t know if it was going to happen that way, but that was my mindset.”

Related Kevin Garnett: 2010 Celtics ‘Broke’ LeBron James

The post LeBron James: 2012 Loss to Celtics Would’ve Ended Heat Big 3 appeared first on SLAM.

Sacramento led the entire game until the Clippers took the lead with 8:29 left in the fourth. But the Kings battled back in crunch time to secure the dub.

Kent Bazemore dropped a team-high 23 points with 6 boards and 4 steals.

Nets 115 (26-29), Hornets 86 (19-37)

After taking a 10-point lead into halftime, Brooklyn ripped open a huge lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets by 15 points in the period.

Caris LeVert dropped 17 points with 6 steals. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added a game-high 21 points off the bench.

Mavs 107 (34-23), Hawks 11 (-1.5)

Atlanta erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Mavs who were without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

John Collins dropped a game-high 35 points with 17 boards. Trae Young added 25 points and 10 dimes.

Unhappy with the calls during the game, Mark Cuban took to twitter to roast the refs. Prepare for a fine from the League.

Cavs 105 (15-41), Heat 124 (36-20)

The Heat blew out the Cavs on the night that Dwyane Wade’s No. 3 jersey went up into the rafters.

Kendrick Nunn dropped a game-high 24 points with 8 dimes.

Suns 112 (23-34), Bulls 104 (19-38)

After falling behind by 17 points late in the second quarter, Phoenix outscored the Bulls by 18 points in the second half to get the win.

Deandre Ayton dropped 28 points with 19 boards and 3 blocks. Devin Booker added a team-high 29 points.

Chicago has now lost a dismal 8 straight games.

Sixers 98 (35-22), Bucks 119 (48-8)

Milwaukee dismantled the Sixers, building a 25-point lead by the third quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped a game-high 31 points with 17 boards and 8 dimes.

Rockets 120 (36-20), Jazz 110 (36-20)

Down by 4 at halftime, Houston outscored the Jazz by 19 points in the third quarter to take control of the game.

James Harden dropped a game-high 38 points with 7 dimes. Russell Westbrook added 34 points.

The post Post Up: Heat Rout Cavs on D-Wade’s Jersey Retirement Night ⚡ appeared first on SLAM.

Butler concurs with the Heat legend’s assessment.

“This is Jimmy Butler’s era,” says Wade, who spent the 2016-17 season playing alongside Butler in Chicago.

Per The Miami Herald and ESPN:

“I think Jimmy has been very clear. Conversations that we had about Miami early on. There are certain people you just know are Miami Heat guys where you know the culture,” Wade said.

“I always thought Jimmy was that. I always thought Jimmy’s personality and his crazy was perfect for Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra’s crazy. So it’s great. One thing I told Jimmy when he got there is, ‘This is Jimmy Butler’s era. Don’t worry about people saying anything about Dwyane Wade. I’m old and retired and gone. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. Focus on what you’re trying to build with Miami in your time there. Don’t ever feel like you have to be me or anybody else that’s come before you. You just have to be Jimmy Butler.’”

After hearing about Wade’s comments, Butler agreed. When asked why he thinks he has the right brand of “crazy” for this Heat team, Butler praised the tough-minded Heat culture that has defined Riley’s tenure in South Beach.

“I think it’s all based off of honesty, truthfulness, hard work and intention,” Butler told ESPN after scoring 24 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds in a 134-129 overtime win over the Washington Wizards. “And I feel like when you talk about myself, you talk about Spo, you talk about Coach Pat, that’s what all of this thing is based off of: how hard you work, how you can keep it real with one another and not take anything personal. It fits for me here. I’m loving it, man. They’re constantly in my ear, and we’re constantly going back and forth, figuring out ways that I can be better. How I can make everybody else better. But this culture — I’m super happy to be here. I’m fortunate to be here, man. This is a great group of guys. It’s a great organization. But like [Wade] said, this is the right type of crazy for me.”

Related Jimmy Butler: TJ Warren ‘Not Even in My F**kin’ League’

The post Jimmy Butler: Miami Heat the ‘Right Type of Crazy for Me’ appeared first on SLAM.

—

SLAM: What’s the best piece of advice you have for the next generation of players?

DIRK NOWITZKI: Well, I always try to see myself as a student of the game. It sounds silly, but never think that you’ve made it. Somebody else is working out in the gym. Always try to get better. Listen and learn. Watch your veterans. And just always, every summer, try to add something new to your game and never stay the same player. That’s how I always looked at it. I never wanted to be satisfied. I always wanted to be the best player I could be. It’s really all about hard work and putting the time in. To be consistently good for a long, long time takes a lot of work.

DWYANE WADE: The advice I give my son [Zaire] is, find out who you are and what it is you want to accomplish. Have somebody to look at as inspiration, but be your true self. Once you find out who your true self is, now the real work starts. Now the work that you got to put in, the advice that you need to take, the inspiration that you need to grab from—those are all the things that come with it. But I’ll say the biggest thing is, find out what’s your purpose. What’s the reason you’re playing this game for? Try to find that out. For me, it was different from someone next to me or someone on this side. For me, I played for different reasons than a lot of guys or vice versa. So find out what that is first and then you can get to the rest. 

[On his motivation]: For me, the way I grew up was my first motivation. Every little boy’s dream is to make sure that their mother can live an amazing life and they can buy their mom that big house. The way I grew up, it was about hopefully I can get my family out of the struggle—be the difference, be somebody that my mom and dad can be proud of. And then from there, it went to me in college having my son at 19 years old. Once I had Zaire, he became my sole purpose to really do something special, really do something different and be different than the people that I grew up around in a sense. Every step of the way, it’s just being different things or people or situations that motivated me a little bit more, a little different.

WALT “CLYDE” FRAZIER: The best piece of advice I can give is what my mother gave me, man. I remember when I first signed a big contract with the Knicks, everybody was telling me what kind of car I should drive, what I should do, wanted to borrow money, everything. I was so confused. I go to my mom, she says, ‘Son, just be yourself.’ Everywhere I go, I’m just being myself. So just be yourself, and from experience you’ll learn the nuances of what to do, how to play the game. Hopefully guys will have the opportunity that I had, to go to a team that has a Willis Reed, that has a [Dave] DeBusschere, a [Bill] Bradley, a Dick Barnett. All these guys had such a tremendous impact on me, man. I just followed their example. I didn’t really have to do anything. I just sat and I watched them. Barnett didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink. Today, I weigh almost the same because I used to watch him and how he extended his career 3-4 more years. Willis Reed—”The Captain”—how he had the most tenacious work ethic. Nobody ever outworked him. His professionalism off the court, how he dealt with the fans. So if you ever come to the Garden, you see me signing autographs, I’m laughing, I’m smiling. I learned all of that. And then I had a coach, Red Holzman, who also instilled that in me. The confidence and how to handle the city. Red was like a surrogate father to me. When I was driving the Rolls Royce and had all the suits, he would always say, ‘Clyde, you saving any money? Remember you got to save for a rainy day.’ I had all the best influences on the team. It was a blessing. I was in the right place at the right time and everything just fell in place for me.

GARY PAYTON: The only thing I can give them is, they have to respect those who came before them and who paved the way for them. A lot of these young guys don’t respect like a Dr. J or a Jerry West or guys like that because they’ve never seen them. They see LeBron, Kobe, Stephen Curry and they think their games are the ultimate games. None of them have seen Kareem. None of them have seen Wilt Chamberlain. So I tell them, man, if you go back and look at videos, the stuff that you’re doing, we were doing that early in the ’60s and ’70s. Just because you think that you’re young and y’all doing different stuff and it moves on, that doesn’t mean we weren’t 21 neither. So give respect to the OGs and pay homage. Every time I see a George Gervin or a Dr. J, or anybody who came before me and I watched coming up, I respect them. I get up and I go over there and I give them homage. Because it wouldn’t have started if I hadn’t been watching them. I just tell these young guys, they think that they know everything but they don’t. It’s all about the OGs that came before you.

And absolutely [they can learn something from watching their games]. And they can learn stuff about life: What [the OGs] went through before they were making big time money like that, because they weren’t making no money; what you should understand about struggling and about how to help other people and help your community. 

KOBE BRYANT: Be consistent. That’s the most important part. Be consistent with your work.

[On how he coaches his daughter’s AAU team]: I draw a lot from Phil [Jackson]. Phil’s coaching philosophies and my coaching philosophies were put into the Wizenard series [Kobe’s recently released book series]. It’s one where you don’t give directions so much as ask questions. You want to get players thinking on their own and figuring things out on their own. We don’t have sets. We don’t have plays. We have ideas. Within those ideas, the players are responsible themselves for figuring out what is the best idea to use at what time and why. When you have players that can think, particularly at a really early age, and you start teaching them that at 11, 12 years old, then when they get to 17, 18 years old—how are they going to be processing the game then? It’s really fun to watch them work through those ideas. 

ALLEN IVERSON: Play every game like it’s your last.

[On constructive criticism]: I wish I understood constructive criticism when I was younger, but I was just so young and stupid and didn’t know any better. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell these young guys. Like, Bro, there’s people out here that really love you and they are trying to tell you the right things. You have to listen to them. You have to. Because Allen Iverson was an asshole and didn’t listen until he got older and was like, Oh, OK, this is how life is supposed to be. I don’t want young dudes to not get the message before they take a bullet. That’s why I’m trying to preach.

STEPHON MARBURY: Try to absorb as much as you can absorb. Basically take everything in [from coaches and players] and apply what you think are the best things that fit for your game. Add it. And the things that don’t fit, don’t subtract it. Just leave it there because you grow as a player, and some of the things that people teach you over the course of time, you don’t get it right then and there but some information is so much more advanced that you’re just not ready at that time so you kind of throw it out the window. For me, what I did, I listened to everybody and tried to take something from everybody. Even the coaches. Even like Larry Brown. It’s so funny, I think about Larry Brown sometimes when I’m coaching [Marbury is head coach of the CBA’s Beijing Royal Fighters], about some of the things he used to say to me and I apply some of that stuff to my coaching method. Some of the things, things that I learned from different players, just adding a variety of different things to your game over the course of time and never deleting anything. It’s like a computer, right? It holds and stores all of the information. You just got to try to keep that database full and never delete anything, because you never know when you’re going to need it again.

I’m still learning the game and I played over 22 years. You learn so many different things, sometimes you learn things from your players, from watching certain things that they do on the court and how you can help them become better. Things that you thought you would’ve done it one way and then you see it can be done another way. The process of learning takes place every second. You are never fully downloaded, never 100% complete because the process is always in continuance.

JASON WILLIAMS: Just try to stay focused and keep improving every day. And don’t get too down on yourself if you’re not getting the minutes that you need.

[For point guards and passers specifically]: Passing was vital in my outlook of the game, but in today’s game, a guard has to get like 30 to be successful. But still, if you get on the right team—everybody can’t score, so…It’s got to be within. I think there’s a good passer and a willing passer. Those are different things. Steph Curry is a good passer, but he’s not looking to pass first or second, he’s trying to score. Whereas a willing passer is trying to pass, pass and then has to shoot it eventually because they’re not guarding him—that type of thing.

SLAM: How has the game evolved from when you first entered the NBA?

DIRK: The NBA when I first got there, every 4 or 5 was big and strong. They were rebounders and screen-setters. Then the NBA changed some of the rules—they brought in the back-down rule and put in the zone and the game changed. Now every big man has to be able to shoot—at least the 4s can all shoot threes now. The League has gotten smaller, faster, more skilled. Even some of the 5s now can pick-and-pop and stretch you to the three-point line. So it’s been amazing to watch the skill level, especially from the bigs, get so much better from when I first got in the League. 

J-WILL: I think it’s at an all-time high, if you ask me. I’m a huge fan of the NBA game, I like to see all of the offense and stuff like that. Defense is overrated to me, always has been. Defense don’t win championships to me, bro. It helps—don’t get me wrong. But somebody got to score to win, right? It’s whoever got the most points. 

I like the game where it is, but I think too many people want to score. [Not enough] people want to do the dirty job or really understand their roles when it comes to whatever it is on the team. Everybody wants to get buckets. But it’s exciting for a fan.

MARBURY: The physical play is not the same as it was when I was playing. Now you can’t really touch nobody. I played against guys like Derek Harper, obviously Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and those guys. Terry Cummings, Oakley, Patrick Ewing, those guys fouled differently. From us growing up playing against those guys—Charles Barkley, Olajuwon—you have a different understanding about the game and how it’s played. Now it’s completely different as far as the physical play.

Before, it’d be a fight and then guys would finish playing and go out after. Now it’s not like that. You got more guys hugging each other before the game. I’m not saying I’m opposed to it, it’s just, I don’t know how you can be my friend and be hugging and laughing and joking with me and we’re about to go play against each other. You might catch an elbow in the face and then after that, I don’t know how that works. That’s a little different for me. The era, it completely changed to like friends playing against friends. It wasn’t really like that—when Iverson and myself, whenever we got on the court to play against each other, it was a war. I think now it’s a little bit different. It’s not the same as it was back in the day. I don’t think you will ever see Michael Jordan going to shake Isaiah Thomas’ hand before the game, hugging and all of that. I don’t think those things were going on. When you grow up seeing that, that’s basically what you emulate. From guys doing their handshake and all of the things they do, the camaraderie things, it’s cool if that’s what’s going on and creating positive energy. But that wasn’t how it was when I was growing up and watching basketball.

I’m down with the era changing. I can flow with how things change and how things evolve. For me, it’s just different. That’s all. Now you can’t really touch nobody. I’m looking at today’s game and I’m like, What would we have averaged? … The game isn’t different as far as how you play basketball. It’s different in the rules and the rules allow you to play different. It’s more entertaining now.

SLAM: How do you envision the game continuing to change? Where does it go from here?

DIRK: That’s a good question because now we have Steph Curry pulling up from half-court and making every shot. I’m not really sure where this game is going to grow, if they’re going to put in a four-point shot or—I have no idea. But it’s been already amazing to see where guys are making shots from now and the athleticism. On Instagram and Twitter, you have videos from all these high school kids now jumping out of the gym and dunking. It’s hard to see where it can get even more athletic, more skilled, but I’m sure there are ways for it to grow even more. 

KOBE: I think it just goes the opposite [way]—it goes back to midrange. I’m just kind of sitting here waiting for all these statistical people to figure out how to make midrange sound appealing after all these years of making it sound not appealing. Because it’s coming. 

CLYDE: I think this is it. I don’t see any more changes that could happen. This is what it’s going to be now. When I came in, you always had to have a great center and a great backcourt man. Frazier, Reed. Monroe, Unseld. Jabbar, Robinson. West, Chamberlain. That was the essence of the game. You had to have that big guy and a guard to succeed. Michael came in and now Curry is taking it to a different level. So this is the evolution that I think you’re going to see now. Like a video game. Guys running and dunking and the threes and this is what the fans want. The fans want this basketball. To me, it’s more entertainment today. Early on, I was appalled with the traveling, the euro-step, the carrying of the ball, you can’t touch [players] anymore. All the different things that they’ve done to create scoring. People want to see high scoring and action and that’s what basketball is symbolic of. I don’t think that’s going to change now. This is what you’re going to see.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 225

Alex Squadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @asquad510.

Photos by Cameron Look, Jeffrey Salter, Atiba Jefferson and via Getty Images.

Additional reporting by Max Resetar and Tzvi Twersky.

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The Mike Bibby-led squad has multiple players in the Top 100 rankings, but Sierra Canyon was still able to hold down the fort and get the huge W.

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Dwyane Wade was courtside and gave his son Zaire and Bronny James some feedback.

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Peep some other videos from Young Flash and let us know what similarities you see.

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Wade, 37, says his trainer is keeping him in shape since “you never know.”

The future Hall of Famer is now living in California⁠—staying active by training with guys currently in the League⁠—and believes either the Lakers or Clippers will win the 2019-2020 championship.

Per The LA Times:

“I’m done, but my trainer is going to keep me in shape just in case something happens,” Wade said, smiling. “I’m going to stay in shape because you never know. Never say never.”

Staying in shape for Wade might actually include him working out with James before games at the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo and at Staples Center, which will undoubtedly lead to rumors of a potential reunion this season.

“You’re definitely going to see me out there,” Wade said. “I’ll be there early to work out with LeBron before the game starts. I just want to stay around it and be as involved as I can.”

He’s enjoying retirement life as a father, mentor and occasional workout partner and isn’t looking to be tied down to one organization just yet.

“I think L.A. sports is in an amazing place right now with football, basketball, baseball and even high school sports, and I look forward to being a fan and rooting all these teams on,” Wade said. “Obviously with LeBron being on the Lakers, I have a dog in the fight, but you have the Lakers and Clippers, two of the best teams in the league and the hottest tickets in town. People want to go watch both of these teams because they’re both in the running to come out of the West and play in the Finals. They could play each other in the Western Conference finals, which would be great. Golden State still has the heart of a champion with everyone they have coming back, but I think L.A. is going to win the championship.”

Related Dwyane Wade Caps His Career With a Triple-Double

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With Dwyane Wade watching courtside, Sierra Canyon took care of business in an easy win on their 12-day trip. Peep the full highlights in the video above!

RELATED: Bronny James, Zaire Wade & Amari Bailey Teamed Up? New BIG 3 at Sierra Canyon!

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The footwear choice for their finales were as different as their games with Wade going with a flashy, golden “Last Dance” colorway of his Li-Ning Way of Wade 7 while Nowitzki wore the Hyperdunk X PEs he’s been rocking the entire season.

Another future Hall of Famer continued with his sick array of PEs as Russell Westbrook broke out a chess inspired design of his Jordan Why Not Zer0.2. Brodie certainly put his name in the conversation for having one of the League’s best PE games with the multitude of wild colorways he’s rocked over the course of the season.

In Los Angeles, Montrezl Harrell closed out another epic season of kicks in two pairs Kyries as he brought out the “Flytrap” 1 and the “Red Carpet” 4s. And in Portland, De’Aaron Fox capped off a sensational sophomore season in another pair of Kobes as he donned the Nike Kobe 8 System “All-Star.”

The rest of the best kicks from last night’s NBA regular season finale is just a few scrolls away.

Photos via Getty Images

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Wade, 37, says he is “happy with this season” despite the Miami Heat missing out on the playoffs.

The Banana Boat Crew of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony made the trek to Brooklyn to give their good friend a proper send-off.

Per The AP:

“CP played last night, we had our last regular-season game last night and Melo’s right here in New York so we kind of made the plan, made the decision to come up here,” James said. “Listen, we couldn’t miss D-Wade’s last game. This is the last time he’s going to be on an NBA floor wearing that Miami Heat uniform, that No. 3, so we’re happy to be here to support.”

Afterward, Wade finished his season-long custom of exchanging jerseys with players by giving his to Anthony. Anthony was one of the people who persuaded Wade to return this season and enjoy a farewell tour, but then he didn’t last long enough with the Houston Rockets to play against Miami.

“I didn’t get an opportunity to play against Melo this year and exchange jerseys with him,” Wade said. “That was a missing piece out of this whole season, so everything worked out great for him being here, for me having an opportunity to give him my jersey.”

The Heat hoped the final game would matter, but the Nets and Orlando Magic had clinched spots over the weekend to leave only one spot left coming into the last week. Miami was eliminated from contention for it despite its victory Tuesday.

“For me, I’m happy with this season,” Wade said. “Unfortunately for our organization and our team we weren’t able to put ourselves in a position to win enough games to be in the playoffs, but for what I wanted for this season, I’m happy to say that I completed that.”

Related ‘That’s What Great Players Do’: Dwyane Wade Scores 30 in Last Home Game

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Dwyane Wade’s One Last Dance ended with a bang. The guard showed out in Brooklyn, with LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony there to watch, racking up a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He got the assist on a pass to none other than fellow Heat veteran and friend, Udonis Haslem.

After the game, Wade was embraced by his Banana Boat family.

Mavericks 94 (33-49), Spurs 105 (48-34)

Dirk Nowitzki ended his storied career with one last jumper at the top of the key, the perfect cap on a 21-year legacy in Dallas. He finished his final game in the league with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Pacers 135 (48-34), Hawks 134 (29-53)

Taurean Prince hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to put Atlanta up two — but they didn’t come away with the win. The Hawks fouled on a 3-point shot on the ensuing possession, and Indiana’s Edmond Sumner hit all three shots to give the Pacers win No. 48 on the season.

Magic 122 (42-40), Hornets 114 (39-43)

Charlotte entered the night with playoff hopes but they ultimately fell short. Terrence Ross led Orlando with 35 points in the road win. Kemba Walker put up 43 points as his team’s season ended early.

Pistons 115 (41-41), Knicks 89 (17-65)

Detroit’s night was a joyous one as they clinched their first playoff spot since 2016 with their win over New York. Luke Kennard scored a team-high 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field. Andre Drummond added 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Bulls 109 (22-60), 76ers 125 (51-31)

The 76ers fielded a team without Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid but they still notched the win at home. Jonathon Simmons led the team with 20 points.

Warriors 117 (57-25), Grizzlies 132 (33-49)

Memphis enjoyed another triple-double from Delon Wright (13 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) as they finished the win season with a win. Jevon Carter contributed 32 points towards the victory as well.

Thunder 127 (49-33), Bucks 116 (60-22)

Russell Westbrook is in playoff form as his triple-double (15 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds) helped OKC over Milwaukee. Dennis Schroder put in a team-high 32 points for the Thunder.

Timberwolves 95 (36-46), Nuggets 99 (54-28)

Denver mounted a furious comeback late to steal the game at home. Nikola Jokic paced the team with 29 points and 14 rebounds.

Denver will be the No. 2 in the West and face San Antonio in the first round.

Jazz 137 (50-32), Clippers 143 (48-34)

Grayson Allen dropped a career-high 40 points in 40 minutes but Utah fell in OT. Ivica Zubac put in an impressive game for the Clippers, racking up 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Kings 131 (39-43), Blazers 136 (53-29)

Portland secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference by only playing six players. They were led by rookie Anfernee Simons, who registered 37 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

The post Post Up: Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki Suit Up for One Last Time 😢 appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat, however, were also eliminated from playoff contention.

The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is at peace with the “end of the basketball part” of his life.

Per The AP:

“It’s like everything I’ve done has led up to this moment,” Wade said. “It’s like, all a body of work, all the injuries, all the surgeries, all the tough times. It led up to this moment. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my last game in this arena, to my last season.”

After 16 seasons as an NBA player, after three championships, an almost-annual spot in the All-Star Game, a scoring title, three franchises, four children, an Olympic gold medal and 161 teammates, the end is here. He is ready for whatever comes next.

There’s more to come for him in Miami. It just won’t be in a No. 3 uniform.

“This city means everything to me,” Wade said. “It’s forever, forever, forever going to be my home. This is the end of the basketball part of me, but there’s so much I want to do in this city. So much more that we can accomplish together. I definitely look forward to that.”

Related ‘I’ll Be in Therapy’: Dwyane Wade Prepares for Retirement

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Charlotte took an 8-point lead into halftime and grew it to 27 by the fourth quarter.

Jeremy Lamb scored a game-high 23 points (9-13 FG) with 5 dimes, 3 steals and a +21 plus/minus.

Cleveland finished their season on a 10-game losing streak.

Grizzlies 93 (32-49), Pistons 100 (40-41)

Detroit managed to rally back from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to snap a four-game losing streak and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Andre Drummond dropped 20 points (6-11 FG) with 17 boards, 5 steals, 3 blocks and a +17 plus/minus.

Blake Griffin appeared to re-injure his left knee during warmups and only managed to contribute 5 points on the night.

Celtics 116 (49-33), Wizards 110 (32-50)

Boston rested their entire starting lineup and still managed to rally back during the fourth quarter for the win.

Terry Rozier scored a game-high 21 points with 4 treys and 4 dimes.

Sixers 99 (50-31), Heat 122 (39-42)

Miami crushed the Sixers and snapped a 4-game losing streak in Dwyane Wade’s final home game.

In his only start this season, Wade scored a game-high 30 points with 4 treys and 3 dimes.

Knicks 96 (17-64), Bulls 86 (22-59)

With the win, New York avoided their worst record in franchise history.

Dennis Smith Jr scored a game-high 25 points with 5 dimes and a +15 plus/minus.

Raptors 120 (58-24), Wolves 100 (36-45)

Toronto outscored the Wolves by 24 points (!!!) in the second quarter and never looked back. By the fourth quarter, the Raptors’ lead had ballooned to 32 points.

Kawhi Leonard dropped a game-high 20 points with 4 treys and 6 boards in just 24 minutes.

Warriors 112 (57-24), Pelicans 103 (33-49)

Going deep into their bench, Golden State rallied to take a 9-point lead in the third quarter and held on to the lead for the rest of the game.

In his return to New Orleans, DeMarcus Cousins scored a team-high 21 points with 12 boards and 6 dimes.

Golden State has now won 6 straight games.

Suns 109 (19-63), Mavs 120 (33-48)

Dallas nearly blew a 31-point third quarter lead, but they managed to hold on in what would ultimately be Dirk Nowitzki’s final home game.

Dirk dropped a team-high 30 points with 5 treys and 8 boards. Luka Doncic scored 21 points with 16 boards, 11 dimes, 3 steals and a +15 plus/minus.

Jamal Crawford went off for 51 points in a losing effort. The 39-year-old surpassed MJ as the oldest player to drop a 50-piece. He’s now dropped 50 with four different teams.

Nuggets 108 (53-28), Jazz 118 (50-31)

Utah outscored the Nuggets by 9 points in the second half and are legitimately one of the hottest teams in the League right now.

Donovan Mitchell tied a career-high with 46 points, adding 7 boards, 4 dimes and a +24 plus/minus.

Rockets 111 (53-29), Thunder 112 (48-33)

OKC rallied back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to snap the red-hot Rockets’ 6-game winning streak.

Russell Westbrook dropped a team-high 29 points with 12 boards and 10 dimes. Paul George (27 points, 9 boards, 4 steals) hit a crazy game-winner to put away the Rockets.

Blazers 104 (52-29), Lakers 101 (37-45)

Moe Harkless scored the final 12 points for Portland as the Blazers narrowly avoided defeat in Los Angeles.

Harkless dropped a team-high 26 points with 8 boards, 4 blocks and a game-winning three to end the Lakers’ season.

The post Post Up: Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki Drop 30-PIECES in Final Home Games appeared first on SLAM.

Leonard adds that having to go up against both future Hall of Famers, at the height of their powers, made him a better player.

Kawhi and the Raptors spoiled Wade’s final visit to Toronto, defeating the Miami Heat 117-109 on Sunday.

Per The Canadian Press:

Dwyane Wade led the Heat (38-41) with 21 points in his final trip to Toronto. The three-time NBA champion is retiring this off-season after 15 years in the league.

Leonard and Wade exchanged jerseys after the game.

“Just going through those championship series (when Leonard was with San Antonio) and facing him, and that Miami Heat team is the greatest team I have ever played,” Leonard said. “Being that young and having to guard Wade and LeBron it got me to where I am today. Losing and then coming back and winning just helped me out, man. It’s like I told him before, me going through that and them being as great as they are just made me a better player.”

The post Kawhi Leonard: ‘That Miami Heat Team is the Greatest Team I Have Ever Played’ appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, 37, says he will “need someone to to talk to” about retirement.

The future Hall of Famer adds that his last dance through the League has been nothing short of a dream.

Per ESPN:

“I’ll be in therapy. Seriously,” Wade said. “I meant it, it is going to be a big change. I told my wife, I said, ‘I need to do therapy, and we need to do a little bit.’

“I was always against someone that don’t know me telling me how to live my life or giving me instructions. But I need someone to talk to about it. Because it is a big change. Even though I got a long life to live, other great things I can accomplish and do, it’s not this. So it’s going to be different.”

Of late, Wade has been motivated by a retirement tour that has seen him be the toast of the town in Boston and New York.

“It’s been surreal,” Wade said. “It’s like you — you have this vision of, you know, how you want things to go, right, with everything in life. And when something, you know, surpasses that vision, it’s kinda like it’s an out-of-body experience.

“I couldn’t have written this book any better. This is a best-seller. And I couldn’t have written it about my life.”

Related A DANCE TO REMEMBER: Dwyane Wade Opens Up About His Final Season

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While DeRozan broke out an exclusive for Manu, PJ Tucker rocked one of DeRozan’s old PEs in Houston’s tilt with Denver. Tuck sported the red and white Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro along with a pair of the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 FTB. Since debuting his Jordan CP3.XII, Chris Paul has been wearing some pretty wild colorways and his latest pair followed that tune as it featured a two-tone white and volt upper with red accents.

Montrezl Harrell is finishing the regular season strong as he brought out another two pairs of vintage Bron lows as he donned the “Multicolor” Nike LeBron 11 and “Red Plum” Xs. Out in Miami, Derrick Jones Jr flexed with the “Easter” Nike Zoom KD 4 and Dwyane Wade wore a custom pair of his Li-Ning Way of Wade 7.

Make sure to scroll through our latest NBA sneakers’ recap located right below.

Photos via Getty Images

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The Bucks’ All-Star duo of Khris Middleton (39 points) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points) combined to shoot a blistering 26-for-43 from the field as they fended off the red-hot Clippers.

Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a team-high 21 for the Clippers.

Cavaliers 110 (19-57), Spurs 116 (44-32)

Patty Mills knocked down a dagger 3 in the game’s closing minute to give Spurs fans something to cheer about as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker were in the house to celebrate Ginobli’s jersey going into the rafters.

DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 25 points in the win.

Magic 98 (37-39), Pistons 115 (38-37)

Wayne Ellington knocked down seven 3’s en route to a game-high 25 points and Andre Drummond added 18 points, 18 boards and six blocks as the Pistons picked up a HUGE win in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

With the win, Detroit — currently the 6-seed — moved 1.5 games ahead of 9-seed Orlando.

Nets 110 (38-38), Sixers 123 (48-27)

Joel Embiid stuffed the stat sheet with 39 points, 13 rebounds, six dimes and three steals as the Sixers jumped out to a 15-point first quarter lead and never looked back.

Boban Marjanovic scored 16 off the pine in 18 minutes of action.

Mavericks 99 (29-46), Heat 105 (37-38)

Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki entered their final match-up tied up 17-17 all-time in head-to-head meetings, and round 35 went down to the final minute as Wade’s dagger secured himself a winning record in one of the League’s most underrated rivalries.

Wade finished the night with 11 points and four steals and Nowitzki scored 13 points and nailed three 3’s.

Raptors 117 (53-23), Knicks 92 (14-61)

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points as the Raptors blew out the Knicks at MSG. Rookie Mitchell Robinson shined for New York, scoring 19 on 8-for-12 shooting and grabbing 21 rebounds.

Nuggets 85 (50-24), Rockets 112 (48-28)

James Harden scored 38 as the Rockets blew out the Nuggets in what may have been a Western Conference playoff match-up preview.

Kings 118 (37-38), Pelicans 121 (32-45)

The Kings’ backcourt got theirs — Buddy Hield scored 27 and De’Aaron Fox had 25 — but it wasn’t enough to overcome 34 points and 11 boards from Julius Randle.

The post Post Up: Spurs Win for Ginobli, Wade Edges Nowitzki in Final Battle appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, an NBA Finals MVP at age 24, “was better than Kobe [Bryant] at that time,” says Riley.

Dirk Nowitzki adds that D-Wade—who averaged 34.7 points in the series—was “unguardable” when he led Miami past his Dallas Mavericks.

Per Bleacher Report:

For about a three-year span Wade was, in Riley’s view, “the best player in the world.”

“Dwyane was better than Kobe at that time,” Riley says. “He had a better year by having the impact on winning—in the Finals, in the biggest moments, on the biggest stage. And you get that moniker.”

For Wade, the moment was career-defining, even if that career was just three years old.

“That first championship I got against him is something that, if I never got to the Big Three era, was something that set me up for the rest of my life,” Wade says.

Related Dwyane Wade: ‘Kobe Bryant is the Greatest Player of Our Era’

The post Pat Riley: Dwyane Wade ‘Was Better’ Than Kobe Bryant in 2006 appeared first on SLAM.

RELATED A DANCE TO REMEMBER: Dwyane Wade Opens Up About His Final Season

The post Dwyane Wade’s Last Season: A Dance to Remember ⚡️ | SLAM Cover Shoots appeared first on SLAM.

The 11-time NBA All-Star big man played six of his 13 seasons in South Beach, winning two championships and reaching two other NBA Finals.

Bosh, 35, said he is “100 percent at peace” with retirement.

Per The Sun-Sentinel:

“Straight-up adrenaline, man,” said Bosh on what he felt as he watched it go up. “I felt like I could’ve gone up there and grabbed it myself.”

Bosh wrapped up the speech asking the AmericanAirlines crowd to give him one last roar, and they complied. During the first half of the Heat’s crucial game against the Orlando Magic, the Heat showed separate video montages of Bosh’s signature video bombs — that always captured his personality — and his clutch shots in a Heat uniform.

“Of course, I was underrated,” Bosh proclaimed when asked if he agreed with the notion ahead of the game and ceremony.

“I had to change my game. It was kind of an interesting journey,” said Bosh, who last played in 2016 after a second consecutive season had ended due to blood clots.

Bosh added at this point he is “100 percent at peace” with retirement. “I’ve been at peace for a while,” he said. “I knew I didn’t want to play basketball because I was just thinking the things you have to go through with your body. My family needing me, being around my boys and my girls every day. Waking up, eating breakfast, going to the park, taking them to school, going to parent-teacher meetings. … It was kind of easy for me to move on after that.”

Related Chris Bosh: Miami Super Team ‘Put Pressure’ on Kevin Durant to Join Warriors

The post ‘I’m Humbled’: Miami Heat Retire Chris Bosh’s Jersey appeared first on SLAM.

SLAM 221 highlights a few basketball legends, as well as the next generation primed to take over the NBA and the WNBA. With features on Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, D’Angelo Russell, Nikola Jokic, Asia Durr, Katie Lou Samuelson, Cam Reddish and some of the best HS hoopers in the country, we’ve got it all covered. The issue also has pullout posters of Trae Young and Kevin Durant.

Head to our online store to cop, peep the cover stories at the links below and stay posted for more dope content from the mag over the next few weeks!

A DANCE TO REMEMBER: Dwyane Wade Opens Up About His Final Season

THE NOTORIOUS D-LO: D’Angelo Russell Is Built for This

MAMBA 101: Welcome to Kobe Bryant’s Next Chapter

The post SLAM 221 Is On Sale Now 🐍❄️⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

Bosh says Durant likely wouldn’t have signed with the Golden State Warriors had he not seen what the Heat did with their vaunted Big Three.

Bosh adds that it was Kevin Garnett who helped him make up his mind about taking his talents to South Beach as a free agent in 2010.

Per NBC Sports:

“You want to play with people who can take pressure off you, that way you don’t have to worry about other things,” Bosh remembers Garnett telling him. “You can just play basketball.”

If Bosh’s blood clots hadn’t forced him out of the league, he could’ve entered this summer as a free agent, alongside the likes of Durant, [Kyrie] Irving, [Kawhi] Leonard and [Jimmy] Butler — the same players he unknowingly helped all those years ago. It’s a fact that has haunted him to this day.

“I’m happy for the guys,” Bosh says. “I’m happy to look back and even if people don’t know, to say, hey, you know what, I had a little bit to do with changing the league.”

Bosh changed the game off the court, too. I ask him, does Durant leave OKC if Bosh and the Big Three don’t choose to team up in 2010?

“No,” Bosh says now. “That put pressure on him.”

Related Cavs Tried Pairing LeBron James With Kevin Durant After the 2016 NBA Finals

The post Chris Bosh: Miami Super Team ‘Put Pressure’ on Kevin Durant to Join Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

Dwyane Wade eyes his first ever SLAM cover and smiles softly at the sight of a 23-year-old version of himself.

“Man, I look way different,” he says.

He was just a kid in his second season in the NBA then, beginning to make his name and eager to write his legacy. Now that kid is on his farewell tour. He’s getting to smell his own flowers and trying to savor every moment.

Ovations in arenas he never expected. Tribute videos and jersey swaps and people traveling thousands and thousands of miles to see him take the floor. Crowds erupting whenever he checks in and chanting MVP when he’s at the free-throw line. Road games suddenly sounding like home games.

This—all of this—is way beyond anything that that 23-year-old envisioned. And yet, here he is.

“I just decided to come back and do one more,” he says. It’s a Tuesday afternoon in late-February and only a few months remain before Wade walks away from playing NBA basketball forever.

“I wanted to say goodbye to my fans, I wanted to say thank you and I wanted to give them the opportunity to do the same.”

So let’s begin.

—

“There are moments throughout my life, and especially throughout my career, that have just been, like, wow moments,” Wade says.

Just over 24 hours later, he’s sprinting triumphantly around the court at AmericanAirlines Arena, his teammates chasing close behind. He leaps up on the edge of the scorer’s table and bangs his chest emphatically.

This is my house. This is my city. 

Wade has just hit an impossible game-winning three against the Golden State Warriors. After being blocked, he recovered the ball with just enough time to heave it toward the rim. It banked in.

Of all his game-winners, this one is particularly special. It’s the toughest one he’s ever made, no question. It also could be the last one.

“His raw, genuine emotion after that was my favorite one that I’ve seen in all the ones that he’s hit,” says Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “After 16 years of being in the League, just that raw joy—that’s what it’s all about.”

Wade will miss these wow moments, of course. The trip to the Final Four with Marquette. The 2003 NBA Draft. The crossover and tear-drop over Baron Davis. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The steal and 24-foot floater to beat the Bulls. The poster dunks on Anderson Varejao and Kendrick Perkins. The full-court lobs to LeBron James. The ’06, ’12 and ’13 championship runs. The 13 All-Star appearances. The return to Miami following his brief hiatus.

It’s what made this past summer so difficult for him. Should he come back? Should he bid goodbye to these moments forever? It was something he grappled with every single day.

“It’s something you think about when you wake up. It’s something you think about in the middle of the day. It’s something you think about before you go to bed,” he explains.

“I’ve played basketball since I was 5 years old. I’m 37 years old as I sit here, so this is all I know. To be thinking, When is that end coming and how do I want it to come? And just figuring out—it has to be on my time. I know everybody else had their reasons for why I should or maybe for some out there why I shouldn’t [return]. I had to be comfortable with my decision.”

No matter what, it had to be on his terms. Wade has made it clear over the course of this season that he can still play. The numbers—14.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 25.5 minutes—are still impressive. The moves—pump fakes and Euro-steps and fadeaways—are still smooth. It isn’t about if he can play. It’s about whether or not it feels right to.

Just before he was traded back to the Heat in 2018, Wade dealt with a tragedy that changed his outlook on things. Henry Thomas, his longtime agent and someone he considered a father figure, passed away at the age of 64 from a devastating neuromuscular disease.

“It took a little bit away from me,” Wade says. “From the passion standpoint and the joy of the game.”

A couple of months later, he was sitting down with his good friend and teammate Udonis Haslem and just came out with it.

I think this is it. I think I’m done.

Wade was OK with where he was and what he had achieved. He no longer had the same investment in the journey and the process. He was ready to set it aside and spend more time with his family. He took a while to ponder it all but ultimately knew the end was here.

There would be one last dance, one final opportunity to cherish the game he’s played for nearly his entire life.

It has been his constant. His obsession. His true passion ever since he was a little boy watching his hometown Chicago Bulls dominate the 1990s. As his career has unfolded, as the seasons have passed by, Wade hasn’t had the chance to wholly reflect on what’s transpired.

“Normally we got a game, we got practice, we got this, we got that. You just move on to the next one,” he says. “I’ve been able to stop and reflect a little bit [this year], so I’m enjoying certain moments.”

His last All-Star Weekend. His interactions with fans before and after tip-off. The matchup against LeBron at Staples Center. The miracle buzzer-beater to take down Golden State. This send-off has been special for all who’ve been a part of it.

“This whole last dance thing will probably be a top-five basketball memory for me, and it’s not even about me,” Heat forward Justise Winslow says. “That just goes to show you how big of a basketball brand and name he is. He’s global—he’s one of those guys that’s bigger than basketball.”

“One of the best shooting guards ever,” adds Josh Richardson, Miami’s leading scorer this season. J-Rich has vivid memories from his childhood of watching Wade and striving to follow in his footsteps.

“I remember the ’06 Finals—I was at basketball camp in like seventh or eighth grade. And we all would go downstairs and huddle around this little TV and be like, D-Wade is playing! Seeing his highlights when I was growing up, it really inspired all of us.”

The response from players around the League has been incredible. For a lot of them, especially the younger guys, Wade was a major source of motivation. Nothing has embodied his impact more than the jersey swaps.

Wade’s original idea was to do the exchange on-court with three of his closest friends: LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. He hit them up prior to the season to discuss the plan. It’s a tradition that Wade has always admired when he saw athletes in other sports do it. He wanted something unique for his final year and it’s taken off, with countless others—Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard, Dirk Nowitzki and many more—now possessing the iconic Miami No. 3.

“I watched Kobe go through his last year; And I was like, OK, I want something that when people think about my last year, they think about XYZ,” Wade explains.

Bryant’s retirement tour in 2015-16 was similar to this—a powerful salute to an undeniable legend.

“He’s been one of the best players that we’ve had in our League. He’s been right there at the forefront for many, many years,” Bryant says of Wade. “I’m just happy for him—to see him get the credit he deserves during this one last dance.”

As for what Dwyane is going to do with his new jersey collection, that’s yet to be determined. He’ll eventually figure out a way to bring them all together. Maybe a framed plaque or two on a wall in his house, he considers, with the names of every player he swapped with—an emblem of this unforgettable last ride.

—

His message to the city of Miami—and to his supporters everywhere, really—is simple: Thank you.

“Thank you for a lot of reasons. Thank you for allowing me to grow in front of your eyes. Thank you for allowing me to make mistakes. Thank you for cheering for me when I wasn’t as good. Thank you for being there as well when I was. I think the support and the love that I’ve gotten from the fans of Dade County—thank you for allowing me to call it Wade County. Thank you for coming up with that name. Thank you for letting my family grow here. The love that we’ve felt here has just been unbelievable. So just simply, thank you.”

The bond between Wade and Miami is so strong that many believe he was born and raised there. Love from the city has helped fuel his career and Wade has paid it back in full. There were no championship banners hanging in AmericanAirlines Arena when he arrived. Now there are three. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals, and ranks second in blocks and fourth in rebounds. To locals, Miami Dade County is better known as Miami Wade County.

Yet his influence extends far beyond that.

On a concrete court outside Schoolhouse Prep, a small private high school in Miami, teenagers on the basketball team try to emulate D-Wade’s style. They mimic his free-throw routine, which they’ve memorized, and recreate some of his greatest highlights. An off-the-backboard alley-oop, like the one he threw to Bron on Christmas in 2013. A right-to-left Euro-step, like the one he pulled on Kevin Garnett in the 2011 playoffs. Several of the kids wear No. 3 because of Wade. They take turns discussing his effect and delivering messages to him.

“He inspires me to be the best I can.”

“He’s a top-two all-time shooting guard for me.”

“Wade—for me, that man is the GOAT.”

 “When a child is watching him, they can watch him and be like, Wow, I want to be like him. I want to get how far he’s gotten. He’s been a real big help to me my whole basketball career.”

“That’s what you work so hard for,” Dwyane says, “so you can inspire the next young kid that was like you that had a dream but didn’t know how they were going to get there and they used you as a vision board.”

He’s always understood the magnitude of what he’s been able to accomplish, but he still hasn’t fully grasped the impact. With this farewell tour, he is sensing it now more than ever. He hopes to be remembered as a winner—as someone who required everything of himself and his teammates and sacrificed it all to be successful.

“Understanding that I’ve been put in a leadership position and when you’re in a leadership position, there’s definitely teammates I’ve had that don’t like me because you demand so much,” he says.

“I want to win so my demand sometimes has just been insane. But I want to be respected for that because I’m trying to push people to be their best selves so we can get everything that we want together. And at the end of the day, that’s ’06, that’s ’12 and that’s ‘13. That’s raising that championship over your head and knowing that you did everything and gave it all and you’re the greatest team in the world. There’s nothing better than that when you play a team sport.” 

—

The 23-year-old version of himself aspired to be Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. His love for basketball began with MJ. His pose on the cover of that first SLAM was his best attempt to “swag it” like AI did on previous issues.

Now others aspire to be Wade. They follow the examples that he’s set on and off the floor. He is their MJ. He is their AI.

Wade will savor every remaining moment of this dance along with the rest of us. He knows that there is no preparing for the very end. He will approach the final game the same way he has approached all the others. He’ll try to enjoy the experience with his family and hopefully go out with a big performance.

“When it’s over, when that ball stops bouncing,” he says, “I’ll just look at it and understand that I’m very thankful for it, that I appreciate where it’s brought me from and where it’s taking me from here, and that I gave everything to it that I wanted to give and that I had.

“And it’s time to move on to something else.”

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 221 FEATURING DWYANE WADE

Alex Squadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @asquad510.

Photos by Jeffery Salter and via Getty.

The post A DANCE TO REMEMBER: Dwyane Wade Opens Up About His Final Season ⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

Find out why Dwyane Wade has had his eye on this hooper from Villages Charter (FL) School in his SLAM Day in the Life episode (above)!

RELATED: Tre Mann Can MOVE and He Knows It: “EASY MONEY” | SLAM Practice

The post Tre Mann is Florida Hoop Royalty | SLAM Day in the Life 🐊 appeared first on SLAM.

Bam Adebayo wore those sick futuristic-looking Nike Zoom Kobe IV Protros, but DeMar DeRozan showed why he’s the top Kobe collector in the League as he broke out the latest colorway in that style which featured an all-black base with bright contrasting color pops. Fellow Kobe aficionados Allonzo Trier and Tobias Harris wore vintage models. Iso Zo went with the Nike Zoom Kobe VI ASG “Orange County” and Harris donned the “Big Stage” Nike Zoom Kobe V.

In the evening’s craziest kicks, Jimmy Butler came with another sick pair of the Jordan Supreme Elevation as he donned an orange and green number in the 76ers win. Dwyane Wade went with a new Li-Ning Way of Wade 7 colorway which featured a leopard print over a multicolored upper.

Closing out, our P.J. Tucker sneaker watch continues and the League’s sneaker king showed pride in his alma mater as he wore a pair of “Texas Longhorns” Nike Zoom KD4 PEs.

Check out the rest of the league’s footwear game in our recap below.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

The Warriors dropped their second straight game as the Magic outscored the defending champs 33-15 in the final period of play. Aaron Gordon had 22 points and 15 boards and Terrence Ross scored 16 off the bench. Ross’ plus-minus of +17 in 27 minutes led all players.

Steph Curry scored 33 points, but he shot just 12-for-33 from the field.

Cavaliers 125 (15-47), Knicks 118 (13-49)

Four Cavaliers (Kevin Love, Cedi Osman, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson) scored at least 20 points as Love led the way with 26 in just 28 minutes of work. Cleveland outscored New York 40-21 in the fourth quarter.

Alonzo Trier led the Knicks with 22 off the pine.

Heat 118 (27-34), Rockets 121 (37-25)

Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade met for the 22nd and final time as Paul improved his career record to 15-7 against one of his closet friends.

James Harden went off for 58 points — his sixth game with at least 50 points this season — 10 dimes, seven rebounds and four steals.

76ers 108 (40-22), Thunder 104 (38-23)

Tobias Harris led all scorers with 32 points as the Sixers snapped a 19-game losing streak against the Thunder.

Both sides were without arguably their best players as Joel Embiid and Paul George both sat.

Jazz 111 (35-26), Nuggets 104 (42-19)

Donovan Mitchell scored six unanswered points late in the fourth quarter to secure the win and give Utah breathing room at the 6-seed spot in the Western Conference standings.

Mitchell finished the night with 24 and Kyle Korver scored 22 (6-for-10 from 3) to lead the way for Utah.

Timberwolves 115 (29-33), Pacers 122 (41-22)

Karl-Anthony Towns took over the night with 42 points, 17 rebounds and four dimes, but Bojan Bogdanvic’s 37-point outing was the deciding factor as the Timberwolves fell to the Pacers. TJ Leaf added 18 points for Indiana.

The post Post Up: Dwyane Wade and CP3 Meet for Final Time, James Harden Scores 58 appeared first on SLAM.

Wade banked in a straight-away three to give the Miami Heat a stunning 126-125 victory against the visiting Golden State Warriors.

The 37-year-old finished with 25 points and hit two threes in the final 16 seconds.

Per the AP:

“Thank you for showing me the way, Mamba Mentality,” Wade said in the on-court interview, referring to Bryant by one of his nicknames.

Not long afterward, Bryant responded on Twitter: “My man,” he wrote to Wade, adding the hashtag “last dance” — a nod to the “One Last Dance” theme Wade has used throughout this, his 16th and final season in the NBA before retirement.

A loss would have set them back a bit in the standings, and who-knows-how-much more emotionally — since had the Warriors won, it would have been a win where Miami blew a 24-point lead. Instead, Wade engineered a miracle in Miami — exactly one year to the day after he hit a game-winner to beat Philadelphia at home.

“He deserved to win this game,” Golden State’s Kevin Durant said.

Related Dwyane Wade Channeling His ‘Inner Allen Iverson’ With Braids

The post ‘Mamba Mentality’: Dwyane Wade Stuns Warriors on Game-Winning Three appeared first on SLAM.

Dwyane Wade, a.k.a. Father Prime, had to flex his magic Wednesday night. Wade hit an improbable buzzer-beater against the Warriors that was nothing short of otherworldly. He sent the Miami crowd and his teammates into hysteria following the shot.

Wade finished with 25 points.

Rockets 118 (36-25), Hornets 113 (28-33)

Houston scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to get a win on the road. James Harden contributed 30 points and dished out seven assists while Clint Capela scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Kemba Walker had 35 points for the Hornets.

Timberwolves 123 (29-32), Hawks 131 (21-41)

Atlanta was able to come out on top in overtime thanks to the duo of Trae Young (36 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) and John Collins (34 points, eight rebounds). Karl-Anthony Towns scored 37 points in the loss.

Wizards 125 (25-36), Nets 116 (32-21)

Bradley Beal (31 points) and Trevor Ariza (23 points, 10 rebounds) led Washington to a road win in Brooklyn. D’Angelo Russell put in 28 points and seven rebounds for the Nets.

Blazers 97 (38-23), Celtics 92 (37-25)

Damian Lillard’s 33 points propelled the Blazers to a win in Boston despite a comeback attempt by the Celtics. Kyrie Irving scored 31 points in the loss.

Bulls 109 (17-45), Grizzlies 107 (24-39)

The Bulls’ trio of Zach LaVine (30 points), Lauri Markkanen (22 points) and Otto Porter Jr. (20 points) helped Chicago hold off Memphis. Avery Bradley put in 23 points for the Grizzlies.

Pistons 93 (29-31), Spurs 105 (34-29)

San Antonio used a 27-point third quarter to expand their lead and cruise to the home win. LaMarcus Aldridge led the team with 24 points while DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Pacers 101 (40-22), Mavericks 110 (27-34)

Dallas turned the tide in the fourth quarter, putting in 31 points that pushed them ahead for the win. Rookie Luka Doncic flirted with a triple-double yet again, registering 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Clippers 105 (34-29), Jazz 111 (34-26)

Utah enjoyed double-digit scoring from six players, including each of their starting five. Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring with 32 points, while Rudy Gobert added 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Bucks 141 (47-14), Kings 140 (31-30)

Milwaukee and Sacramento played an electrifying game that went down to the final seconds in overtime. Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 26 points and 13 assists. Buddy Hield scored 32 points for the Kings.

Pelicans 119 (27-36), Lakers 125 (30-31)

With his team up three and time winding down, LeBron James nailed a one-legged 3-pointer from the corner to seal the game. James finished with 33 points and 10 assists as the Lakers exacted revenge after a loss to the Pelicans last week.

RELATED: Dwyane Wade Channeling His ‘Inner Allen Iverson’ With Braids

The post Post Up: Dwyane Wade Hits Ridiculous Buzzer-Beater Against Warriors ⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, 37, debuted the cornrows in the Miami Heat’s 124-121 loss Monday night to the visiting Phoenix Suns.

The future Hall of Famer doesn’t know how long the new look will last as he puts the finishing touches on his NBA career.

Per The Sun-Sentinel:

“I’m trying my inner Allen Iverson,” he said after practice Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, in advance of Wednesday night’s visit by the Golden State Warriors.

Having grown out his hair, the 37-year-old icon said he felt the time was right for something different.

“There’s a lot of factors,” he said. “I’ve been growing my hair. I’m growing my hair to do different looks and I decided to do a different look. Once I got it done, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to do it in a game.’ “

He had thoughts amid previous experiments.

“I’ve gotten my hair braided like three times in practice,” he said, “but I haven’t worn it in a game. But I felt I was game ready, so ‘For the Culture.'”

Related Russell Westbrook Shoves Taunting Nuggets Fan

The post Dwyane Wade Channeling His ‘Inner Allen Iverson’ With Braids appeared first on SLAM.

Riley, however, holds no ill will towards James for his free agency decision to leave Miami.

The 73-year-old vows to remain at the helm as Heat team president until they win another NBA championship.

Per The Sun-Sentinel:

“When LeBron made that call, I saw a dynasty fly out the window,” Riley said in the clip posted Tuesday by ESPN.

“I didn’t blame him. But I knew that was a 10-year team. It was just a sad day for me and for our franchise because I wanted that dynasty. I wanted this city and this team to go 10 years and maybe be in the Finals eight times.

“I don’t know how many championships we would have won. But I don’t have any rancor toward him at all.”

Interviewed by ESPN personality Dan Le Batard, Riley, in a clip of the interview posted Tuesday by the network, referenced Dwyane Wade leading the Heat back from the brink of disaster against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals, when Wade turned to Riley, then the team’s coach, and said, “I ain’t going out that way.”

With ESPN panning across those words outside the Heat locker room, Riley, who turns 74 on March 20, said, “Maybe that’s why I’m not going to retire. I ain’t going out this way, until we win another title.”

Related Pat Riley: LeBron James Did the Right Thing Leaving Miami

The post Pat Riley: Heat Dynasty Flew ‘Out the Window’ When LeBron James Left appeared first on SLAM.

Wade marvels at Doncic’s ability to find shooters all over the floor.

Dwyane Wade on Luka: "quote me right where I say this – it’s LeBron James-like from the standpoint of how he’s able to rope that pass to shooters in corners, getting blitzed. There’s not many guys who can do that and put it right there. He does an amazing job of it."

— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) February 14, 2019

D-Wade played in Dallas one the last time Wednesday night, the sight of many of the most iconic and controversial moments of his Hall of Fame career.

Per the AP:

Wade had done enough already in what was almost certainly his last game in Dallas, scoring 22 points in one his better games of the season to help the Heat to a 112-101 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night.

“Talking to Dirk [Nowitzki] at the end, he was just like, ‘Man, you look good,’” said Wade, relating their conversation while surrounded by cameras during a jersey swap at midcourt after the game.

“I said, ‘You have those days, right?’ But those are the scary days, those days that you can mess around and be like, ‘Well, I can keep playing.’ And then it’ll be a day that you’re like, ‘No, there’s a reason why I’m retiring.’”

The true reaction of Dallas fans to Wade came later when they booed the 13-time All-Star whenever he touched the ball. The Mavericks have always thought Wade was the beneficiary of questionable calls in the 2006 NBA Finals, which the Heat clinched with a Game 6 win in Dallas.

“There was a lot of obviously Wade fans in the building, well-deserved,” Nowitzki said.

Related
Luka Doncic Amazed By Comparisons to a Teenage LeBron James

The post Dwyane Wade: Luka Doncic Has ‘LeBron James-Like’ Passing Ability appeared first on SLAM.

Tobias Harris continued to shine for his new team, scoring 25 points on 9-f0r-14 shooting. His plus-minus of plus-27 was a team-best.

Kevin Knox threw down a thunderous poster over Ben Simmons to ease the pain of New York’s franchise-worst 18th straight loss.

KEVIN KNOX JUST CAUGHT A BODY (via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/f2ZSQdnvwa

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Heat 112 (26-30), Mavericks 101 (26-31)

Dwyane Wade poured in 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting in just 22 minutes of work to defeat Dirk Nowitzki in their 34th and final NBA game against each other. Dirk had 12 points off the pine for Dallas.

The win for Wade means the two will retire with 17-17 records against each other — 11-11 in the regular season and 6-6 in the NBA Finals.

Dwyane and Dirk taking turns serving up fadeaway buckets has got me emotional… (via @bleacherreport) pic.twitter.com/P9AjQmrVAv

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Dwyane and Dirk exchange jerseys bc legend recognizes legend. (via @dallasmavs) https://t.co/VoRxpnKhmh

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Nets 148 (30-29), Cavs 139 (12-46)

Former teammates D’Angelo Russell (36 points, seven rebounds, eight assists) and Jordan Clarkson (42 points, eight rebounds, five assists) went the distance in an epic 3OT duel.

I’d trust a D’Lo shot in crunch time with my life (via @BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/IIMeh97IVK

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Sometimes new beginnings mean everything.

Former teammates D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson combined for 7⃣8⃣ points in an epic 3OT duel tonight. pic.twitter.com/ZlXLftFPNA

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Jordan Clarkson had 42 points, eight rebounds, and five assists tonight, joining Allen Iverson (2002) and Nate Robinson (2010) as the only players over the last 35 years with at least 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists off the bench in a game. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/iRxf8OOJYh

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 14, 2019

Bucks 106 (43-14), Pacers 97 (38-20)

Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed all over the hardwood with 33 points, 19 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and a block as the Bucks took care of business heading into the All-Star Break.

Kings 118 (30-27), Nuggets 120 (39-18)

The Nuggets got off to a sloppy start as the Kings scored 41 first quarter points, but they were able to claw their way back in thanks to 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists by Nikola Jokic and 25 points and 13 boards from Paul Millsap.

Isaiah Thomas had eight points and two dimes in 13 minutes of work in his first game in 11 months.

Jokic’s tip-in with 0.3 seconds to go gave the big man his second game-winner of 2019.

De’Aaron Fox got that Reggie Bush first step (via @SacramentoKings) https://t.co/qUftt9Junl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

IT’s jumper is still (via @nbatv) pic.twitter.com/Im2I6owgIk

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

JOKIC CALLED GAME. (via @espnnba) pic.twitter.com/H20vI3L2I9

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Pistons 110 (26-30), Celtics 118 (37-21)

The Celtics took care of business without the services of Kyrie Irving or Terry Rozier has seven players chipped in at least nine points, with Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward all scoring 16 or more.

Blake Griffin scored a game-high 32 for the Pistons and Andre Drummond had 21 points, 17 rebounds and four steals.

Wizards 120 (24-34), Raptors 129 (43-16)

Pascal Siakam scored a career-high 44 points and grabbed 10 boards as the Raptors took care of business at home. Jeremy Lin had eight points, five boards and five assists in 25 minutes during his Toronto debut.

How good does this one feel tonight, @pskills43? pic.twitter.com/OvNRv7a5P9

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 14, 2019

Grizzlies 110 (23-36), Bulls 122 (14-44)

Otto Porter Jr. scored 37 points on a blazing 16-for-20 shooting night as the Bulls started off strong with 67 first half points. Lauri Marrkanen added 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Suns 107 (11-48), Clippers 134 (32-27)

Lou Williams dropped 30 points off the pine as the Clippers dominated the Suns from start to finish. Montrezl Harrell added 19 off the bench, too.

Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Suns with 28 points.

KELLY OUBRE JUST CAUGHT A BODY (via @suns) pic.twitter.com/w9toSJ7mPj

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Rockets 111 (33-24), Timberwolves 121 (27-30)

James Harden scored 42 as he kept his 30-point game streak alive, but it wasn’t enough to overcome seven Timberwolves scoring double-digit points. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jeff Teague combined for 52 to lead Minnesota.

Derrick Rose still got that turbo (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/dlY0p8nwo5

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

JOSH OKOGIE JUST STUFFED THE BEARD (via @nbatv) pic.twitter.com/APHA10mq1X

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Warriors 107 (41-16), Trail Blazers 129 (34-23)

Kevin Durant and Steph Curry each dropped 32 points, but eight Trail Blazers scoring at least 10 enough to down the defending champs.

Portland outscored Golden State 35-12 in the final period as Jake Layman took over with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Damian Lillard had a team-high 29.

Seth just gave Steph a lil work (via @nba) pic.twitter.com/hocjGpKHb4

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

Jake Layman out here hitting the Warriors with the MJ shrug. 2019 wild lmao. (via @nbatv) pic.twitter.com/LqBT6pzmtG

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 14, 2019

The post Post Up: D’Angelo Russell Goes OFF in 3OT, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade Meet for Final Time appeared first on SLAM.

Peep some of the Young Flash’s games from this season below.

Zaire Wade Drops 32 in OT Thriller

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union Watch Zaire Wade Catch First POSTER DUNK!

Young FLASH Zaire Wade Drops 26!

Zaire Wade is Young Flash! Lookin’ Like His Pops!

Zaire Wade Was Cookin’ in Front of Dwyane Wade at the Kruel Showcase

Zaire Wade Has INSANE Pull-Up Game! Drops 22 in Hostile Gym! 

The post Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union Watch Zaire Have BREAKOUT Season! ⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

Down 20 in the third quarter, the Clippers rallied back to steal a dub in Charlotte.

Lou Williams caught fire late in the third and fourth quarters, dropping 15 straight points. He finished with 31 points off the bench and a +18 plus/minus.

Just hours before he was traded to the Sixers, Tobias Harris added a game-high 34 points (and the game-winner) against his former team.

Celtics 103 (35-19), Cavs 96 (11-43)

With Kyrie Irving out with a hip strain, Jayson Tatum went off for a team-high 25 points (on 13 shots) with 7 boards and 3 blocks.

It wasn’t Boston’s prettiest win, but they’ve now managed to win 10 of their last 11.

Lakers 94 (27-27), Pacers 136 (35-19)

The 42-point loss was the worst defeat of LeBron James’ career. Nuff said.

The game was competitive in the first quarter, but Indiana went on a run in the second to open up a 23-point halftime lead. Things got out of hand in the second half as the Pacer lead eventually reached 46 points.

Bojan Bogdanovic finished with a game-high 24 points and a +37 plus/minus.

Pistons 105 (24-29), Knicks 92 (10-43)

Detroit never trailed during the game, but never really was able to pull away with a commanding lead.

Blake Griffin finished with a game-high 29 points with 8 assists, 5 boards and a +24 plus/minus.

New York has now lost a miserable 14 straight.

Raptors 119 (39-16), Sixers 107 (34-20)

The game was marred by poor officiating, but Toronto once again looked like the superior team.

Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 24 points (on 11 shots) with 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Serge Ibaka (20 and 10) double-doubled for the seventh straight game and finished with a game-high +24 plus/minus.

Wolves 106 (25-28), Grizzlies 108 (22-33)

With Marc Gasol sitting out due to a possible trade, Mike Conley went off for a team-high 25 points with 9 dimes, 3 steals and a +20 plus/minus.

With just nine players available, Memphis jumped out to a 19-point lead during the first quarter, only to see their lead dwindle to 1 in the second. The rest of the way was an up-and-down battle, but the Grizz were able to hold on.

Magic 122 (22-32), Thunder 132 (34-19)

OKC rallied back from a 12-point deficit in the third to take a 14-point lead of their own in the fourth.

Russell Westbrook had his seventh (!!) consecutive triple-double with 16 points, 16 assists and 15 boards.

Paul George put up a game-high 39 points with 8 boards and 3 steals.

Heat 118 (25-27), Blazers 108 (32-21)

Coming off of a three-game home losing streak, the Heat picked up a huge win in Portland.

Dwyane Wade had 22 points, 9 boards and 3 assists off the bench. Hassan Whiteside dropped a team-high 28 points (11-12 FG) with 11 boards, 4 steals and a +16 plus/minus.

D-Wade's midrange package is a thing of beauty (via @MiamiHEAT) https://t.co/mN5FieoiSB

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 6, 2019

The post Post Up: Heat Bounce Back With Crucial Victory in Portland appeared first on SLAM.

“Let’s use this moment as a call to action for all professional athletes to educate ourselves,” James told the audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and the millions of viewers watching at home. “Explore these issues. Speak up. Use our influence. And renounce all violence.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCjMvEdPi30

The ESPYs are usually a fun offseason event for major professional athletes to celebrate some of their greatest accomplishments in the past calendar year; but on this evening, the opening monologue would make way for four of the biggest NBA stars to share a powerful message.

That message: It’s time to fix a broken system that has resulted in too many black lives lost in fatal police shootings. A week prior to the ESPYs, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A day later, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man, was pulled over while driving in Falcon Heights, Minnesota and shot seven times while he reached for his license and registration.

“The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop,” Wade said. “Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop.”

Wade mentioned Sterling and Castile, along with several other black victims of fatal shootings: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Laquan McDonald.

“The urgency to create change is at an all-time high,” Anthony added.

Paul talked about following in the footsteps of athletes like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali when it came to being ambassadors for social change. The ESPYs moment was applauded and celebrated. Four of the most recognizable faces in sports, conveying an influential message to millions, and surely inspiring others, in their own positions, to stand up for what they believe in. The impact can’t be quantified, but it surely hit home for a lot of people watching that evening.

What is more important is that all four of them were not just delivering words, they have followed up with their actions. Last year, Paul reflected on the monologue.

“It was very meaningful what we said and what we did,” Paul said. “But what we concentrated on more after that was: Then what? It was one of those things that was out of sight, out of mind. The four of us continue to do different things to help the cause.”

In 2015, Anthony returned to Baltimore, the city where he grew up, to join protesters in a march after Freddie Gray, a black man, sustained spinal injuries while in police custody that resulted in his death. In 2016, not long after the ESPYs, Anthony also organized a meeting between community leaders, athletes and politicians in Los Angeles to have an open forum to discuss the rise of police shootings in the United States.

A month after the ESPYs, the issue of gun violence hit home for Wade. His 32-year-old cousin Nykea Aldridge was an innocent bystander when she was shot and killed in Wade’s hometown of Chicago. Wade has remained one of the most outspoken advocates for gun control and stopping the violence around the country. Last year, he and his wife Gabrielle Union donated $200,000 to help allow students from Chicago to join a “March For Our Lives” gun control rally in Washington, D.C.

They need our help! I'm asking my NBA fam to join us in raising money to send kids from underserved communities to March….@gabunion and I will start w/$200K for Chicago. every dollar counts! Who else is in?? Or donate here: https://t.co/pu10Gp76on #GetTheBallRollin

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 10, 2018

The reach of the four athletes has only expanded. Paul has advocated for stricter gun control on several occasions and the Chris Paul Family Foundation has continued to support communities by partnering with organizations to foster education and health and wellness initiatives, among other things. During the summer of 2018, James and his charity, The LeBron James Family Foundation, partnered with Akron Public Schools to open the I Promise School to help at-risk youth in Akron, OH.

This partnership, like everything else James, Wade, Paul and Anthony are doing off the court, will change the lives of kids and families for generations to come.

Like any call for social change, there has been pushback, and the criticism from the other side has been loud and rampant thanks to an increasingly divided landscape in the United States. Last year, FOX’s Laura Ingraham said she was uninterested in political advice from “someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball,” in response to a video of James and Kevin Durant criticizing President Donald Trump. Ingraham told James to “shut up and dribble.”

James responded shortly after: “We will definitely not shut up and dribble. I mean too much to society, too much to the youth, too much to so many kids who feel like they don’t have a way out…The best thing she did was help me create more awareness. ”

James, Wade, Anthony and Paul have been setting the example for years now. At the ESPYs in 2016, they made everyone aware of the power of using your platform to speak up. And the impact of that speech can still be felt today.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 220 HERE!

Alex Wong is a contributor to SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @steven_lebron.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post BHM 2019: How Four NBA Stars Used the 2016 ESPYs to Deliver a Message appeared first on SLAM.

“Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade embody the best of the NBA: remarkable skill, drive and professionalism as well as a deep devotion to strengthening their communities and growing the game around the world,” said Silver. “As a global celebration of basketball, our All-Star Game is an ideal setting to salute these first-class NBA champions and Finals MVPs.”

Nowitzki and Wade will be selected as 13th men in a new third round of the All-Star draft.

Wade, 37, has already announced this season will be his last ride before he retires, and while Dirk has yet to make such a statement, it’s widely expected this will be the 40-year-olds final season as well.

The two NBA legends have combined for four championships, 25 All-Star appearances and 20 All-NBA nods throughout their illustrious careers.

Salute to the NBA for respecting these greats.

RELATED:
Dwyane Wade Announces He’ll Retire After 2018-19 Season

The post Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade Named Special All-Star Additions ⭐ appeared first on SLAM.

Welcome back, @carmeloanthony #️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qAKMq78WKM

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 28, 2019

Anthony, 34, says he’s simply looking to find a happy, new NBA home.

The future Hall of Famer looks forward to “playing in this building some more.”

"This is home. New York is home."

Melo talks with @RebeccaHaarlow about being back at The Garden. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/fBuV3FLEfw

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) January 28, 2019

Per ESPN:

“I’ve had some great years in this building. I look forward to coming back and playing in this building some more,” Anthony said in an in-game interview with MSG Network during the Knicks’ loss to the Miami Heat.

The Houston Rockets have traded Carmelo Anthony and cash to the Bulls. Chicago eventually will trade or waive the 34-year-old veteran, league sources told ESPN.

“At this point, I just want to be happy,” Anthony said when discussing his next move. “I think I’ve put myself in a good, peaceful mind state right now, [being] able to focus in on what I need to focus in on. And whatever’s going to make me happy, then we’re going to make it happen.”

Wade, one of Anthony’s closest friends in the NBA, is certain that Anthony can still help an NBA team.

“It’s about the right fit. It’s about the right mentality,” Wade said Sunday. “The toughest part for GMs, presidents, owners and players is how to handle an aging superstar, right, in this game. It has to all work perfectly. Everyone has to make the right sacrifices, and it has to be the right group, and it has to be the right coach. It has to work perfectly when it’s an aging star in this game. And unfortunately, his last stop in Houston, it wasn’t the right stop. But Carmelo can play basketball.”

Related
‘He Deserves it’: James Harden Hopes Carmelo Anthony Gets Another Chance

The post Carmelo Anthony: ‘At This Point, I Just Want to Be Happy’ appeared first on SLAM.

The post Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union Watch Zaire Catch First POSTER DUNK!⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

The southpaw even has a mean pull-up game, too.

The post Young Flash Zaire Wade Drops Easy 26 Points in Miami ⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

Montrezl Harrell’s sneaker variety is second to none as he brought out pairs from both Fila and And1. Trezz went with the Fila Bubble Zip, an updated version of the Bubbles model that dropped back in 1996 and the And1 Attack “Chinese New Year” edition which was designed with heavy graphic embellishments and dope embroidery on the back heels that highlights the “Year of the Pig.”

You definitely don’t see the aforementioned kicks everyday and to peep those and the rest of Tuesday’s NBA kicks, including Hamidou Diallo’s all-blue Under Armour Curry 1s and Paul George’s sick yellow Nike PG 2.5 PEs, make sure to check out our recap below.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

Wade’s ill-fated adventure with the Cavs ended when he was dealt to back to Miami at the trade deadline.

Dwyane Wade signed with the Cavaliers knowing LeBron James would leave for Lakers. And yet, Wade didn’t want to be traded out of Cleveland. Here’s why @TheAthleticNBA https://t.co/oErzxfhmnK

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) December 29, 2018

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer says he wanted to get back to the NBA Finals with James, but that it wasn’t in the cards.

Per The Athletic:

“LeBron, first of all, he’s a guy who always plays his cards close to the vest, but I knew his ultimate goal was to be in Los Angeles,” Wade told The Athletic. “He recruited me and he talked to me about signing there (Cleveland), and I said, ‘listen, I know you might not be there long, you’re gonna be a free agent and there are some things that might happen, and we’ll have a conversation.’ I just thought I’d make it through the season first.”

But more than that, Wade wanted to go back to the finals. He didn’t want out from the Cavs.

“That’s why I signed there in the first place,” Wade said. “If I had known that was gonna happen (the trade), I wouldn’t have signed there. It’s gonna be an item on my resume that’s hard to understand, but it happened. I know I filled my role while I was there, as a veteran and a leader. At least I can say I made some really cool relationships with the people who were there.”

The two friends did have a sitdown, over lunch, the day Wade was traded.

“It wasn’t like he came out said ‘oh, you’re traded, I’m going to the Lakers,’ but like I said I knew where his heart was and what he was thinking big picture,” Wade said.

Related
‘I Needed Him’: LeBron James Says Dwyane Wade Fueled His Greatness

The post Dwyane Wade: LeBron James Signing With Lakers Was ‘His Ultimate Goal’ appeared first on SLAM.

The evening was headlined by the debut of Stephen Curry’s latest signature model, the Under Armour Curry 6. The shoe is a nod to Oakland and is named after the city’s Fox Theater. The colorway takes direct inspiration from the historic landmark’s colorful marquee and its array of neon lights. The Curry 6 Fox Theater lands in stores on January 4 and will carry a sticker price of $130.

On the topic of neon, Kyrie Irving debuted a new colorway of his namesake, the Nike Kyrie 5. Dubbed the “Neon Blends,” the shoe features a white base with an upper decorated in a watercolor, galaxy, tie-dye like print. It’s certainly one of the wildest Kyries to date. Unlike the Currys though, this pair appears to be a PE only with no reported plans of an actual release.

While those two sneakers were the night’s biggest stories, there was still plenty of heat on display. Paul George’s Nike PG 2.5 PEs were a definite head turner, Derrick Jones Jr. flexed in the “Gold Medal” Nike Zoom KD 4, Dwyane Wade brought out a sick colorway of his Li-Ning All City 7 and Victor Oladipo’s Air Jordan XXXIII are some of the cleanest PEs you’ll ever see.

If that wasn’t enough, Swipa went back to the super high-tops with the Nike Kobe 9 Elite “Perspective,” Markieff Morris rocked the “Black/Metallic Gold” Nike Air Foamposite Pro and even Patrick Patterson caught our attention with the rubberbands he put on his Nike LeBron 16s. On the custom front, Zaza Pachulia’s Air Jordan XXXII Lows paid homage to Detroit’s “Bad Boys” while Spencer Dinwiddie did the same with Julius Erving on his K8IROS Kronos.

If you haven’t done so already, make sure you check out the rest of night’s NBA kicks right below.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

While Curry was breaking necks in Oakland, the night’s marquee event was going down in Los Angeles as Dwyane Wade squared off against LeBron James one last time. For this final matchup, James sported a Lakers colorway of the Nike LeBron 16 while Wade went with the Li-Ning All City 7. Lance Stephenson continued his strong sneaker campaign as went with the “Calvin Bailey” Air Jordan IX Retro.

Montrezl Harrell got KD fans hyped as he brought out two pairs of the Nike Zoom KD 4: the “Galaxy” and the “Year of the Dragon.” Staying with the throwback theme, the Bulls Lauri Markkanen wore the Nike LeBron X while Jeff Teague rocked the “SVSM” Nike Air Zoom Generation Retro. Last but not least, Gary Harris may have missed last night’s game, but he certainly didn’t miss an opportunity to flex as he broke necks from the sideline in the “Rust Pink” Air Jordan I Retro High OG NRG.

Make sure to peep close to 40 of the night’s best NBA kicks in our latest recap.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

James put the clamps on Wade as time ran out in the Lakers’ 108-105 win against the visiting Miami Heat.

LeBron praised his good friend, saying he “needed” D-Wade in order for his own career to reach the heights it did.

LeBron James, Lakers win historic finale against Dwyane Wade https://t.co/edzY8n2xdX pic.twitter.com/D2wxzPt0HA

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) December 11, 2018

Per the LA Times:

“We did it our way,” James said. “And it was a great unbelievable ride for 16 years.”

They’ve been friends for more than 15 years and this was likely their last chance to do this. Wade has said he will retire after this season.

On the jersey Wade handed James after the game, he wrote a message inside the white No. 3. “Thanks for pushing me to be greater than I knew I was,” it said.

The feeling was mutual.

“To accomplish what I really wanted to accomplish in this league, and that’s winning at the highest level, I needed him,” James said. “That’s why I made the jump. I appreciate more than I can express in words what he did for me when I went down to Miami.”

Related
Dwyane Wade Announces He’ll Retire After 2018-19 Season

The post ‘I Needed Him’: LeBron James Says Dwyane Wade Fueled His Greatness appeared first on SLAM.

In an interview with reporter Ashley Nevel on Wednesday, Wade said he wants his oldest son, Zaire, to spend time with Rose to see how he prepares himself to play the game.

“I tell my son: Go spend a day or two with Derrick Rose and see how he prepares his mind, see how he prepares his body to play the game.

“I think it’s been great for kids to be able to see a guy who came in with so much athleticism and go through what he’s been through, but still pick himself up and continue to do something that he loves and do it differently but still be very good at it. And it looks like he’s having a lot of joy.”

https://twitter.com/AshleyNevel/status/1071066809342746625

RELATED:
Zaire Wade Was Cookin’ in Front of Dwyane Wade

The post Dwyane Wade Wants His Son To Learn from Derrick Rose 🌹 appeared first on SLAM.

Zaire Wade was cookin’ today at the Kreul Showcase @KreulClassic pic.twitter.com/nteFJTCGJP

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) December 1, 2018

A few days ago, Zaire went to work against Dudley Blackwell. Peep the highlights.

The post Zaire Wade Was Cookin’ in Front of Dwyane Wade ⚡️ appeared first on SLAM.

The two exchanged jerseys following Sunday’s game in Miami, a 102-100 Heat win over the Utah Jazz.

Donovan Mitchell called the battle with Dwyane Wade surreal and said he hit him up in advance to make sure he could snag the jersey from him. “He’s an all-time great,” Mitchell said. pic.twitter.com/z2NYGhTzzB

— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) December 3, 2018

“I wish I was that good that young,” Wade said of Mitchell.

.@DwyaneWade gave props to @spidadmitchell after their jersey swap pic.twitter.com/kgg8CuozER

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 3, 2018

Per the Deseret News:

“To be honest with you, that was surreal,” Mitchell said of Wade. “You aren’t really thinking about it in the game, but you look back at it as one of those things where the guy is your idol.

“I talked to him many times this summer about his career and habits on and off the floor, whatever it may be,” he added. “That was a pretty special moment.”

One of those conversations lasted two hours, which Wade said never happens nowadays, where Mitchell picked his brain about everything under the sun. With Mitchell often drawing comparisons to Wade, with the same physical build and ability to attack the basket, he wanted to take pointers from the man himself ahead of his 16th and final season.

“Outside of probably my better friends in the league, Victor Oladipo and Donovan Mitchell are two of the guys I talk to the most,” Wade said. “They’re just guys who are similar in how our games structure and guys who really want it and want to be great.

“We was on the phone for two hours,” he continued. “I don’t talk to nobody for two hours no more, but he wanted to pick my brain, he had a lot of great questions and we just talked about the game. We talked about my first year to my second year, how did I make the jump, and he had a lot of great questions.”

Related
Jazz Rookie Donovan Mitchell is a Ready-Made Superstar

The post Dwyane Wade: Donovan Mitchell ‘Hungry for Greatness’ appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, 36, says today’s stars can get by largely on talent and athleticism.

Q&A: @DwyaneWade chats with @SekouSmithNBA as as his farewell NBA season rolls on #OneLastDance

: https://t.co/UN0gg7PtzU pic.twitter.com/9Sq9wPtAck

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 5, 2018

The three-time champ announced his impending retirement prior to the start of the season.

Per NBA.com:

It’s crazy that kids of his generation are able to track their progress the way they can in this digital and social media age. You see how much better some of these young kids get from year to year, month to month even, and it’s mind-boggling. That’s a luxury or a curse, depending on your perspective, you didn’t have 20 years ago.

DW: “Look, I knew who was in my district. And I barely knew that. But yeah, they get a global view of the game and what’s going on all around them at all times. They get to compare themselves against this guy in Los Angeles when you live on the other side of the country. Or a guy from Canada or wherever. And they get to play against each other now with the grassroots circuit. It’s so much different now compared to when we were growing up. So yeah, it’s just a different time. And man, the talent these kids have way exceeds our talents at that same stage. Just their skills. I mean, everybody’s got a personal trainer and all of the moves. I didn’t have all that. I learned in the backyard with my dad teaching me. I didn’t learn with professional trainers and all that. But it’s the culture now. That’s where we’re at. It’s a different day. And that’s what you see in the NBA right now.”

In what way?

DW: “We’re at a place right now in the league where if you have talent, you can succeed. And I’m not knocking it. It’s just what it is. When I came in it was different. It was more of a thinking man’s game. It was different rules to the game, you know, with hand-checking and everything. It was more of a man’s league, per say. But now, if you have talent in this league, you’ve got one-on-one abilities, you can succeed. If you’ve got one talent, just one thing you do special, you can be great. If that talent is just setting the pick and roll and then jumping as high as I can for a lob, you can do it and you can make $200 million doing it. It’s just a different day. And there’s nothing wrong with it. The game changes for every generation. So I hope my son can get a little of this NBA action, because I think it’s going to be a really fun era to play in and be a part of.

“Sooner or later something will click, some team, some coach or some transcendent player will come along and they’re going to change the game. … So you really just never know where the game is going next. But rest assured wherever it goes, it’s going to a fun ride for everybody.”

Related
Shaquille O’Neal ‘Jealous’ of the Dwyane Wade Farewell Tour

The post Dwyane Wade: NBA Used to Be ‘More of a Thinking Man’s Game’ appeared first on SLAM.

“Every great, historic player deserves one,” says O’Neal.

The one where Shaquille O'Neal says he's jealous of Dwyane Wade. https://t.co/llV0mzWnL4

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 20, 2018

Wade, 36, recently announced that the 2018-19 campaign will be his 16th and final season in the NBA.

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

“I’m jealous,” the former Miami Heat All-Star said. “I’m jealous right now. I wanted the whole farewell tour.”

Envy rarely is an emotion associated with Shaquille O’Neal. Thursday was an exception.

“I remember watching Kareem’s and Magic’s and Bird’s farewell tour,” he said of his fellow Hall of Famers. “Every great, historic player deserves one. D-Wade is a historic player. And there’s a lot of barbershop talk of him being the second- or the third-best two-guard in the game. And when you bring his name up, there’s nobody even close, as far as three, four, five, six and all that. So he is one of the top two-guards to play the game.

“I’m happy for him that he can have this farewell tour, especially here in Wade County.”

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Dwyane Wade Announces He’ll Retire After 2018-19 Season

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On Sunday night, Dwyane Wade announced that he will be returning to the Miami Heat for one final season before retiring.

Here’s how the NBA brotherhood reacted to the news on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnz_vdABxmj/?hl=en&taken-by=jimmybutler

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnz0fOKnBiV/?hl=en&taken-by=waiters3

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnzq-B-hKrS/?hl=en&taken-by=hassanwhiteside

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzsJNinynl/?hl=en&taken-by=teamswish

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnzu6MeFKxY/?hl=en&taken-by=unclejeffgreen

Must watch video. Appreciate everything you’ve done for this game bro. It’s been a pleasure following your career. Neeed a signed pair in last game we play. #HallOfFamer https://t.co/tHd83y4AU3

— Devin Booker (@DevinBook) September 17, 2018

The Hall https://t.co/r2oAwyRaNg

— Shaun Livingston (@ShaunLivingston) September 17, 2018

He’s Back https://t.co/UrblXp9jiz

— Briante Weber (@Sir_deuce2) September 17, 2018

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Dwyane Wade Announces He’ll Retire After 2018-19 Season

The post NBA Players React to Dwyane Wade’s ‘One Last Dance’ Announcement appeared first on SLAM.

Wade’s headed into his 16th season with career averages of 22.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He’s a three-time champion and 12-time All-Star.

“This is it,” Wade says in the video above. “I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that, and I’m going to give it for one last season.”

h/t Dwyane Wade/YouTube

The post Dwyane Wade Announces He’ll Retire After 2018-19 Season appeared first on SLAM.

Wade, 36, says “a lot goes into” his ultimage decision.

Dwyane Wade remains undecided on NBA return, 'I wish I had an answer' https://t.co/S2w12StleO Everything Wade had to say Thursday about why his decision is taking so long, while reiterating it remains Heat or retirement, with Udonis Haslem also addressing the matter.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 14, 2018

The Miami Heat, Wade’s preferred destination, can offer the $2.4 million veteran-minimum salary for 2018-19 or their $5.3 million taxpayer mid-level exception.

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

“I wish I had an answer for you. I don’t have it today,” Wade, 36, said, as he stood alongside Haslem.

Asked what is factoring into his decision, the Heat’s all-time scoring leader said, “A lot goes into it. We’ve kind of talked about it over the course of my career. So you guys can play the tape back and hear the same answers over and over again. But a lot goes into it.”

The Heat are limited beyond that with Wade lacking Bird Rights, having been reacquired at last season’s trading deadline from the Cleveland Cavaliers, after first leaving the Heat for his hometown Chicago Bulls in 2016 free agency following contentious negotiations with the Heat.

“You’ve got to call my agent and ask him,” Wade said, when asked if the Heat had extended the maximum possible offer. “I haven’t dealt with the money part of it.”

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The post ‘I Wish I Had an Answer for You’: Dwyane Wade’s NBA Future Undecided appeared first on SLAM.

The team can offer Wade the $5.3 million mid-level exception or the $2.4 million veteran minimum, but Riley insists it’s not about the money.

Pat Riley says Udonis Haslem will be back, says the taxing situation with Dwyane Wade is the next priority. https://t.co/zqW7yTafAf … Plus, Riley offers updates on Winslow, Weber, Stokes, others.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) August 23, 2018

Riley adds that he has a “real good feeling” Udonis Haslem will be back in the fold in 2018-19.

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

“I have a real good feeling that UD is going to be back,” Riley said at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Miami Heat Sports Medicine Center at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute. “There’s not been any announcement on that. It’s just a gut feeling about UD and what he wants to do.”

As for Wade, Riley said last month that he expected the situation to be resolved in mid-August, a timeline that has been extended.

“Well, I couldn’t get resolved in mid-August because I was on the Amalfi Coast with Micky, having pizza and meatballs. I was on vacation,” Riley said of his annual Mediterranean getaway with Heat owner Micky Arison. “We’ve been in constant communication with Leon Rose, his attorney. Now that I’m back, in town, and we’re really ramping up for training camp, I know Dwyane’s in California right now with the marketing team, getting ready for the season, so I’ll have a conversation with him somewhere shortly.

“I texted him after he got his long-term deal with [Chinese apparel company] Li Ning. We want him back. He and Udonis, we want ’em back, but we’re giving ’em space. We know our young guys and we need to anchor our young team with a veteran presence of the both of them.”

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‘Heat Only’: Dwyane Wade Only Willing to Play in Miami

The post ‘We Want Him Back’: Heat Aiming to Re-Sign Dwyane Wade appeared first on SLAM.

The decision whether to play or retire, however, has yet to be made.

Wade, 36, adds that there is no ticking “clock” on making up his mind.

Dwyane Wade says return only will come with Heat. https://t.co/kNtEbGzMmI … Free-agent guard says deliberations about a possible 2018-19 return are ongoing, does not see a need for a timetable.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) August 12, 2018

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

“Heat only. If I play the game of basketball this year, it’ll be in a Miami uniform,” he told media at the event at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, with audio of that session provided by the NBA. “If I don’t, I’ll be living in Miami and somewhere else probably.”

If Wade returns, it would be to a crowded backcourt that includes Dion Waiters returning from last season’s ankle surgery, as well as Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder. Wade played as a reserve during last season’s return, but often was on the court at the close of games.

“As much as I would love to be back, you got so many different things that you look at, that I have to look at,” he said. “My teammates have been great. The young guys, you want to be there for them, but, also, you want to play. So it’s a lot of different things that come into play there. But, ultimately, no matter what happens, I’m a Lifer, Miami Heat for life.”

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Dwyane Wade: ‘Time Will Tell’ What He Does Next Season

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Check out the highlights from Vegas above!

The post Bronny James finishes FIRST DUNK in front of Quavo, DWade, and CP3! Chips win Las Vegas Classic 🏆 appeared first on SLAM.

Speculation about what the future Hall of Famer will do has ranged from a possible offer in China, to retirement.

Dwyane Wade still not saying if he will play a 16th season. @bytimreynolds #NBA https://t.co/oKwMSGNjIW

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 30, 2018

Wade, 36, says he’ll make a decision “in due time.”

Per the AP:

The Miami Heat guard wouldn’t say Monday if he has decided whether to play this season, which would be his 16th in the NBA. His future has been the source of much speculation for several weeks, with retirement a possibility.

“In due time,” Wade said. “Time will tell.”

Miami Heat President Pat Riley said last week the team will be patient while Wade makes up his mind.

“I want him back as a player,” Riley said. “I want him back as a competitor. I want him back as a guy who wants to have the greatest year he ever had as a player. I read more articles about ‘Dwyane being done, he’s lost a step, he’s not the same player, he might not have the same motivation.’ But I still see a player who can contribute heavily if he really wants to.”

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Dwyane Wade: ‘No Breaking News’ on NBA Future

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The three-time champ is out in Beijing right now, where he just unveiled the WoW7. And he also announced that he’s signing a lifetime deal with Li-Ning. We caught up with the future Hall of Famer, via phone, to break down why he’s on-board till the sun stops shining.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlYSkZNHHEG/?hl=en&taken-by=slamkicks

SLAM: You’ve officially inked a lifetime deal. But back in 2012, it was probably tough to see all of this coming to reality. What was running through your mind when you made your decision back then?

Dwyane Wade: I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. I’m from Chicago, I’m from the states, I know the brands of the U.S. and when I got the opportunity to sit down with Li-Ning, it was really my first time talking about a brand outside of the states. So when I was sitting there deciding what to do, I had to come up with my pros and cons. When I did, there was so many more pros than there were cons. The only con that I kept coming back to was something so simple, like the “cool factor.” For me, ultimately, it became a no-brainer. But the first couple of thoughts that I had were just being a little nervous about taking a leap, taking a step and just doing something different. But once I got out of myself and said, “Hey, this is what you want to do,” it became an easy decision. 

SLAM: You recently said that growing this brand has been one of the “proudest achievements” of your career. Why has this been so fulfilling?

DW: Today when I was on stage and I was just sitting there thinking about young individuals. My 11 year old son was watching. To be able to teach somebody to do something that is maybe out of the norm, especially in the sport that I’m in and to be sitting here and to be the athlete, to have a lifetime deal because I opened a brand–this is an inspiration. My hope is that there’s going to be other opportunities, there’s going to be other times where athletes and individually kids are going to have that moment where they’re going to be scared to take that step. I just want to be a voice in their head when they do, when they have that opportunity and just say, “Listen, if it’s something that you can do, if it’s something that you really want to do, don’t worry about if it’s the popular choice, don’t worry about what other people think, put your all into it and great things will come of it.” 

SLAM: What’s the story behind the Way of Wade 7? 

DW: When we sit down with my Wade 6 and now my Wade 7, big Joe, my designer over here, [it was] just sitting down and trying to create what I wanted. I wanted to just go back and tell stories about my basketball career. Even going back to the Converse shoe that I wore before and taking elements of things I liked about it. Trying to put it next to the sneaker and then going back to the color themes, and all of these things tell a story.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlYP2vplvJG/?taken-by=lining.official

SLAM: You go back to China every summer. What’s the energy been like over there?

DW: The energy, man, the energy is crazy. The game of basketball has been huge for a while over here and for me to be a part of my own brand, the love is so special, man. My tours every year, it gets more, more, more. And it’s not just more people, but it’s more support. When I see everybody show up to my events now, I watch everybody wear nothing but Li-Ning elite gear. When I first came out here, it wasn’t like that. 

SLAM: There’s going to be an increased Way of Wade and Li-Ning presence in America soon. What’s the next step for you all?

DW: On the Wade side, I’m trying to continue to grow my brand and also understand that at some point someone is going to have to wear my shoes on the court one day. Just trying to sit down and seeing the plan for what that looks like. We’ve done a good job so far. We kind of tested it a little bit, and a lot of it has been with guys I’ve had a relationship with. Now you need guys to take the step to come over to Li-Ning and really be happy about the partnership. It’s more than just, “Hey, I want to get a check in China.” It’s really like, “Now I’m going to build something, I want to be a part of something.”

So you definitely want people to have that mindset. That’s the criteria. You want people to have the mindset of wanting to be a part of something special. That’s something that we’re already starting to touch on. I’m very fashionable and we’re bringing that into my line. It’s a good time right now for the Li-Ning brand, but also the Wade brand and we’re doing it our way.​

Max Resetar is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Photos via Li-Ning.

The post Dwyane Wade Talks About New Lifetime Deal with Li-Ning and the Way of Wade 7 appeared first on SLAM.

“Seattle is a great basketball town,” Wade says.

Dwyane Wade on the NBA, being a role model, and which coach he wants to run for office https://t.co/zB3T61rHUE pic.twitter.com/aqA15wnQFS

— Businessweek (@BW) June 21, 2018

Wade, 36, says Magic Johnson gave him critical advice early on his career.

Per Bloomberg Businessweek:

When you think about your next act off the court, would you ever consider buying a team?

Wade: “I definitely want to be a part of ownership in the NBA. I’m not going to try to buy a team. I don’t have that kind of bread, but I definitely want to be a part of a great ownership group. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is all about players being involved in an ownership capacity. You’ve got players like Grant Hill involved in the Atlanta Hawks. Shaquille O’Neal is involved in the Sacramento Kings. It’s definitely something that I’ve talked about, some of my friends have talked about. But, first of all, I’d have to be retired. When that time comes …”

Which team do you want?

Wade: “Seattle. I want Seattle’s team, the Sonics, to come back. I think Seattle is a great basketball town. I would love to be a part of that. But I’m open—if you know somebody …”

The post Dwyane Wade Wants to Bring the Sonics Back as an Owner appeared first on SLAM.

Haslem says the trio did not discuss James’ future.

NEW: Where was LeBron James just days before NBA Finals? Visiting with Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem in Miami https://t.co/14vI9TPpb7

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) June 14, 2018

The LeBron free agency sweepstakes will get underway July 1, and Miami is one of the teams reportedly in the running.

Per the Palm Beach Post:

“Right before they started the Finals against Golden State, I spent some time with Bron,” Haslem said to reporters during a visit to the Heat’s youth summer camp at South Broward High. “He was in Miami. Me, him and Dwyane got together and we spent some time together and we just chopped it up and we just talked.”

But if James really is considering a return to the Heat, Haslem is willing to get in on the recruiting.

“There are great pieces here and we all know the city loves him and we all know what he’s capable of doing,” Haslem said. “I’m sure the organization and I would love to have him. But as a friend, once again, I support LeBron with whatever decision he makes. So we’ll see. Am I going to be a part of the recruiting process? Hell yeah. If he reaches out and we talk, I’m going to throw it out there. But you just never know.”

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Check out the Banana Boat boys’ drip throughout the years and how they’ve evolved in the gallery below.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

The post The Banana Boat Gang’s Finest Fits Through the Years 💧 appeared first on SLAM.

Zaire’s E1T1 squad picked up wins over Team United (NC) and Georgia Stars (GA) to improve to 6-6 and move to third place in Division C.

Check out Zaire’s circuit debut highlights in the video above!

RELATED: Shareef O’Neal’s Official Senior Year Mixtape Is LIT

The post Zaire Wade Makes Nike EYBL Debut In Front Of His Pops in ATL 👀 appeared first on SLAM.

“You want to see nothing but good things for those guys,” Wade said. “This is the future of the NBA. The NBA is in great hands with Ben and Joel and those kind of individuals.”

“This is the future of the NBA. The NBA is in great hands with Ben and Joel.” – @DwyaneWade #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/FMkCO6ud0p

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 25, 2018

Asked specifically about Simmons, Wade compared the star rookie to “that guy in Cleveland.”

“You knew from the first time you saw him in Summer League he was special. He just continued to get better and better. Skies the limit for him.”@DwyaneWade on @BenSimmons25 pic.twitter.com/LVp4oVkhBf

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 25, 2018

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The Sixers eliminated Wade and the Miami Heat from the playoffs with a 104-91 Game 5 win, bringing an end to Wade’s 15th season.

Dwyane Wade did everything right in his return to the Heat. If it's going to be a humble exit after tonight, he seems fine with that. Here's a glimpse into what he's been thinking and what he's done behind the scenes since coming back: https://t.co/mGQ1nbUh84 pic.twitter.com/ksx7tMc3iq

— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 25, 2018

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has said he doesn’t want to play anywhere but South Beach.

Per the Palm Beach Post:

“Y’all know I’ve given it thought,” he said when asked if he’s retiring. “This is Philly and I love Philly, but there ain’t gonna be no breaking news here. I appreciate y’all’s concern, but we’ll worry about that later. I ain’t gonna break nothing here.”

Wade seems to have effectively compartmentalized the retirement speculation — internal and external — over the past week or so. He’s always said he doesn’t want a sendoff like the one Kobe Bryant enjoyed two years ago and he’s treated the last few days like any others.

Maybe it’s because he’s coming back. Maybe that’s just his personality.

“When I say I’ve gotta make a decision, that’s in the summer,” Wade said. “When you’re in the fight, when you’re in the battle, you focus on that. You focus on what you need to do. When you let your mind go, it’s over with already.”

The post Dwyane Wade: ‘No Breaking News’ on NBA Future appeared first on SLAM.

Robert Covington went with the wild Nike Hyperdunk 2017 Low Chicago “FINAO” and Markelle Fultz rocked his custom Nike LeBron 15 in Philly colors emblazoned with “F2G”—initials for Fultz’s motto of “faithful to the grind—painted all-over the midsole.

Dwyane Wade had an off night shooting just 2-10 from the field and finished the game with just eight points. But his Li-Ning’s still caught our attention along with James Johnson and Tyler Johnson’s pairs. Wade sported the strapless Way of Wade 6, with Bloodsport rocking an all-yellow WoW All City 5 and Bumpy in a custom pair of the Wade 6s.

Other noteworthy kicks on the evening included Draymond Green‘s Nike Zoom Rev 2018 PEs, Darius Miller‘s Air Jordan XI Retro “Win Like ’96,” Solomon Hill‘s red/white Nike PG1s and Patty Mills‘ custom Under Armour Curry 5, and Rajon Rondo’s blue Anta RR5s.

Photos via Getty Images

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The Heat shooting guard turned back the clock on Monday night, dropping a season-high 28 points in a 113-103 Game 2 victory over Philly.

In an interview with Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, the 36-year-old explained why returning to his old team was the right move for him:

“As a basketball player, I feel comfortable being in [a Heat] uniform. On that sideline with those guys. I didn’t feel comfortable in those other uniforms. I was trying to do it. I just feel like myself here. It doesn’t mean I’m going to score 28 off the bench in the playoffs every night. But when this team needs me to step up and do things, I feel comfortable being able to do that. I don’t know what it is, but this is where I was born at and where I was meant to be. … I played well last year in Boston, Game 2, but it didn’t feel as good as this.”

…

“It’s just, it’s what I grew up in. It’s what I know. I had the opportunity to go out there. I felt it was needed for me to get away and come back and be appreciative of everything here and how things are ran, the culture that’s here. Being here with these guys, these young guys that I was here with before, come back here and do it with this organization, it’s special.”

Wade was dealt from Cleveland to Miami for a second-round pick at the 2018 trade deadline. He spent the full 2016-17 campaign with the Chicago Bulls.

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The post Wade On Heat Homecoming: ‘I Didn’t Feel Comfortable In Those Other Uniforms’ appeared first on SLAM.

Wade poured in a season-high 28 points in the Miami Heat’s 113-103 Game 2 victory, knotting up their first-round series with Philadelphia at 1-1.

The Sixers had their 17-game winning streak snapped.

Per the AP:

“It’s just in my DNA,” Wade said. “I love the stage.”

Wade made 11 of 17 shots and put on a show in the second quarter and put it away in the fourth.

“I saw moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what defines Dwyane Wade.”

The post Dwyane Wade Credits Kevin Hart’s Trash-Talk for Game 2 Performance appeared first on SLAM.

Dwyane Wade knocked down his first seven shots en route to a 21-point first half that saw Miami head into the intermission on a 36-13 run.

The 76ers cut the deficit down to two with just over four minutes to go, but Wade sparked another Heat run with a steal and slam in transition. Wade brought his scoring total to a season-high 28 when he nailed a stepback dagger in the final minute. Goran Dragic added 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting.

The Flash. Clutch Closer. (via @MiamiHEAT) https://t.co/KrtqYaa6OU

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 17, 2018

FATHER PRIME DAGGER. (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/XLVH94j7gj

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 17, 2018

Ben Simmons continued his poised play at the point, finishing the night with 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. Joel Embiid sat out again with a orbital fracture but immediately took to his Instagram story after the game to let it be known he’s “tired of being babied.”

Joel Embiid isn’t happy. pic.twitter.com/nBGNSLRlKH

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 17, 2018

Spurs 101, Warriors 116 (GSW leads 2-0)

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the Spurs “punched us in the mouth” in the first half; however, whatever Kerr told his team during the intermission flipped the script. Trailing by six entering halftime, the Warriors shot an onslaught of 3s in the second half en route to 69 points.

Klay Thompson was a key catalyst, scoring 16 of his 31 points in the final period. Thompson finished the night 12-for-20 from the field, bringing his series total to 23-for-33 overall and 10-for-14 from behind the arc. Kevin Durant added 32 points, six rebounds and six assists.

JaVale McGee played a key role during his 19 minutes, amassing 10 points, seven rebounds, a block and two steals.

LaMarcus Aldridge’s strong play continued for the Spurs as he led all players with 34 points and 12 rebounds. The rest of the team struggled shooting, finishing the night just a paltry 14.3 percent from behind the arc and 41.2 percent from the field.

16 and counting in the fourth for Klay Thompson.

Walking. Bucket. (via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/Cmxkq6qef1

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 17, 2018

Game 3 heads back to San Antonio, where the Spurs have won 11 straight.

The post Post Up: Klay Thompson, Warriors Continue to Roll, Dwyane Wade Leads Heat appeared first on SLAM.

Wade also surpassed Larry Bird to move up to tenth on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list.

“It’s different, but tonight is all about being on attack!”@DwyaneWade after scoring 28 points off the bench in Game 2 against the Sixers. pic.twitter.com/Ub7fd6ctTi

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2018

The post Dwyane Wade Turns Back the Clock, Drops Season-High 28 in Philadelphia appeared first on SLAM.