Since NBA players started participating in the Olympics, the USA Basketball squad has always been filled with big names. This year’s roster is no different. From LeBron James to Derrick White, All-Star-level talent is abundant on the team.
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But would former players make it in? And what role would they fill if they did? A Gold Medallist from the 2008 Redeem Team had an answer to both questions, and it was laced with the perfect amount of sarcasm.
Dwyane Wade often gets asked about a potential comeback. Even during the 2024 Paris Games, fans of the Miami Heat legend flooded his social media with similar requests. D-Wade picked one such post and described his hypothetical role on the current Team USA.
“The Flash” jokingly (yet honestly) admitted that he couldn’t play basketball anymore and that he would only be helping his teammates by providing water, towels, and clapping for them.
“36 cups of water giving out, 50 high fives, 48 towels thrown to the players and nothing but jokes because my ass can’t play anymore. It’s been over. I’m a former hooper turn analyst for these Olympic Games,” Wade replied.
36 cups of water giving out, 50 high fives, 48 towels thrown to the players and nothing but jokes because my ass can’t play anymore. It’s been over. I’m a former hooper turn analyst for these Olympic Games 🤣 https://t.co/9KLDFW1lDi
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 3, 2024
The three-time NBA champ has made his way to France as an announcer for NBC. He’s been heard commentating on the games alongside Noah Eagle. There’s always a chance that seeing the game up close may make Wade miss his playing days, but he’s very content with his post-retirement life and now channels all his energy into the different activities he’s heavily involved in.
Wade is enjoying life post-retirement
Wade lived the life of a professional basketball player for 16 years. He claims to be more than satisfied with the time he got on the court. Additionally, the former #5 pick has now become a full-fledged businessman, resulting in him not having as much time to think about making a comeback to the NBA.
Being a minority owner of the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Sky, Wade is never really that far from the game he loves.
While talking about his newest role as a broadcaster with NBC it certainly seems as though he has embraced this new role off-court.
“Listen, I am grinding right now. I’m in broadcaster world. I’m traveling with everyone, I’m staying with everyone. I didn’t want to be away from the [broadcast] team. And I’m having a good time when I’m on air,” Wade stated.
During his playing days, Wade had to sacrifice a lot of family time. He has now utilized his retirement to make up for that. Talking about his life post-retirement to Ellen DeGeneres, he said:
“I feel better when I wake up in the morning. My knees not hurting, my hips not hurting, I’m not stressing as much. Besides that, nothing else in my life really consists of sports besides watching my son play or just chasing my daughter around in the backyard.”
Blessed with a high basketball IQ, a role as a coach would be something that he could thrive in, should he choose to do so. However, from his comments, he seems satisfied with the life of a family man, and it doesn’t look like he’s ready to step back into the NBA just yet.
