Next Jordan? Just Wade for Now

It’s not surprising that many people have become disenchanted with the sports world these days. They’re fed up with the ridiculously over-the-top salaries that athletes receive, fed up with athletes behaving as if they’re above the law, and fed up with their childish antics. Names like the NFL’s Randy Moss, the NBA’s Latrell Sprewell, and MLB’s Barry Bonds come to mind. But it’s time for everyone to relax. Dwyane Wade has arrived. First let me remind you that Dwyane Wade has only just finished his second season in the NBA.  In spite of recent trends to skip college and head straight to the pros and the immediate gratification of a million dollar paycheck, Wade instead chose to attend Marquette University where he maintained a grade point average over a 3.0, not an easy task at a Jesuit school. Drafted fifth by the Miami Heat in the 2003-2004 NBA Draft after completing his junior season, Wade was a side note in a draft that included the likes of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Darko Milicic. Yet, amongst those three players Wade was the only one in last year’s playoffs to advance to the second round, carrying the Miami Heat on his young shoulders by raising his scoring average from 16.2 points per game during the regular season to 18.0 points per game in the playoffs. Not only did he lead his team in scoring, but also in field goal percentage, free throw attempts, and assists.

Not an easy task, particularly for a first year player.

In fact, in leading his team in scoring average and assist average in his first post-season, Wade clearly established himself as the future leader of the Miami Heat. He also joined the ranks of Stephon Marbury, Billy Ray Bates, and Michael Jordan as the only rookies to have done so since the inception of the shot clock back in 1954, making Team President Pat Riley and General Manager Randy Pfund appear to be geniuses for selecting him.

He also shares something else in common with Michael Jordan, along with Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy and Larry Bird. They, including Wade, are the only players to ever average 25 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in a playoff round, as Wade did against the Washington Wizards this postseason. This all accomplished while guarded by Larry Hughes, who was named to the ALL-NBA Defensive 1st Team.  Not too shabby for a guy no one had ever heard about two years ago.

After last season, the Miami Heat made a blockbuster trade that sent Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom to the Los Angeles Lakers for the most dominant player the game of basketball has ever seen, the Big Aristotle, Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq’s moving East caused a major shift in power in the NBA and instilled a large interest in the Miami Heat across the nation.  In the beginning, Shaq seemed to be coming to Miami with quite a bit of baggage, the ugly rift he experienced with team-mate Kobe Bryant still fresh on everyone’s minds. The first thing that Dwyane Wade did was clear the air between himself and Shaq. He wanted the Big Fella to know that he was not Kobe Bryant, and that he was more than willing to let Shaq have the spotlight.

That’s the type of person and the type of player that Wade is. He does not have the ego of your typical athlete. He is humble and friendly. He is self-less, as he proved in this year’s NBA Conference Finals when in Game 7 he took not one, but two injections in order to play though an injury and attempt to give his team an opportunity to win the game. His efforts fell short, but Wade did the best he could do with a strained rib muscle that stole his biggest assets; his athleticism and his ability to drive hard to the hole and draw fouls. After the game, when he was battered and in unbearable pain, Wade didn’t have the heart to tell his son, Zaire, that daddy was too tired to play. Instead, he stayed up until three in the morning playing with him.

This NBA season, Wade ranked in the top ten in points per game (24.1), free-throw attempts (762.0), free-throw attempts per game (12.3), and assists per game (6.8). He was named to the ALL-NBA Second Team as well as the ALL-NBA Defensive Second Team. Along with Shaquille O’Neal, the dynamic duo led the Miami Heat to seventeen more victories than last season and the Eastern Conference Finals, the best season in Miami Heat history. Wade also took it upon himself to improve his mid to long range jump shot after facing heavy criticism from team-mates and coaches from the USA Olympic team, adding another weapon to his arsenal. So much for that sophomore slump.

Dwyane Wade wasn’t a sexy draft pick. But fans who questioned the Heat’s selection of him over Chris Bosh are now suddenly quiet as he begins to gain fame. Charles Barkley even mentioned in an interview that high school kids should try and model themselves after Wade, emphasizing that there are benefits to playing college basketball before heading to the NBA. Given all these factors, it should come as no surprise to sports fans that the NBA’s plan for the future is to market more guys like Dwyane Wade. He goes about his business. He’s quiet. He’s a good father and husband. He’s not as flashy as Allen Iverson, and he isn’t as hyped as Lebron James. Instead he’s respectful and demonstrates great maturity for his age. And it surely doesn’t hurt that he was named to People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. How’s that for marketability?

It was a little under two years ago, on August 19, 2003, that Dwyane Wade dawned the number three for the Miami Heat. You’d be surprised to learn that he chose the number out of respect for the Christian belief in the Trinity. At the age of 23, with plenty more to offer us, we should be thanking the basketball powers that be that this is the type of player that will lead the NBA into the 21st century.