It is not surprising to see Michael Jordan leaving a lasting impact on almost every second player whether they are current players or Hall of Famers, who could not help but be mesmerized by Air Jordan. One of those legends was Chicago native, Dwyane Wade. But was there someone other than Mike that Wade looked up to?
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In one of the recent episodes of ‘The Why with Dwyane Wade‘, the Miami Heat legend sat down with the three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker and revealed the players who captured The Flash’s attention other than MJ and his 90s Bulls.
When asked who he idolized growing up, Wade said, “MJ, Scottie, and the Bulls. Let me say that. Outside of those guys, because I was really like Chicago, WGN, that’s all I really watched. But as I got older and I was able to, kind of, you know, get out of my MJ love phase once he stepped away, then I opened it up a little bit…To like Iverson and Kobe.”
Further, Wade revealed how he felt about other styles of players,
“I enjoy guys that I looked at as someone that’s possibly my size, that can have a similar game. If your game wasn’t in my style of play, I really wasn’t, like, Patrick Ewing. I wasn’t really watching Patrick Ewing. That wasn’t going to be my game. So, plus, I didn’t like New York either. No, I can’t stand the Knicks.”
Born and brought up in Chicago, Illinois, Dwyane Wade was bound to fall in love with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He once shared a story of meeting MJ the night he got drafted to the Miami Heat. But when Mike stepped away from the game, Wade took a shine to other great shooting guards in the league like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.
Iverson and Bryant were immediate stars as soon as they were in the league. They both played the same position as Wade and had a similar way of approaching the game as he did. Assuming Wade was talking about the time the Chicago Bulls legend retired for the second time after the 1997-98 NBA season, it is quite understandable why he grew fond of The Answer and The Black Mamba, given their years of domination.
A year after the Bulls’ three-peat, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers achieved the same feat, with Allen Iverson being a thorn in their way throughout those years. AI was the only player that gave Kobe a hard time during his early glory years. Moreover, Wade was listed as 6’3″, Iverson was 6’1″ and Kobe was listed as 6’6″, which backs up Wade’s claim of being influenced by guys of the same size as him.
The Flash’s love for AI other than Michael Jordan
Growing up, Dwyane Wade was a Chicago Bulls fan through and through. Given that the New York Knicks met the Bulls five times in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it is justifiable why The Flash had certain hatred towards the team out of Madison Square Garden.
As for the Miami Heat legend’s admiration for Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant, not just Wade but Candace Parker too shared her love for AI growing up. She credited wearing jersey number 3 as a homage to The Answer and his influence on her growing up.
While talking to Parker, the 13-time All-Star and the 2006 Finals MVP winner revealed why he chose Allen Iverson to walk him and introduce him into the Hall of Fame. Challenging conventional norms, Jordan wore suits to the game whereas Iverson came in wearing durags, baggy clothing, and major bling. Wade fell in love with how AI was off the court but school opponents on the court on a nightly basis.
