A quick look at the upcoming NBA Draft shows that players are no longer staying in college very long. Nearly the entire projected top-10 of the draft is made up of freshmen who have declared early, from presumed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, to the talented Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, to Baylor star VJ Edgecombe and others. That wasn’t always the case though, even for the greats, as Dwyane Wade explained on the latest episode of his Time Out with Dwyane Wade podcast.
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In 2003, Wade launched himself into the NBA and a Hall-of-Fame career by leading Marquette to its first Final Four in 26 years. The All-American sophomore ended up being the fifth pick in a draft that included LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but before he got to that point, he had to pay his dues by redshirting as a freshman.
Today’s college landscape is so heavily influenced by the transfer portal. Redshirts have become less common as players can and regularly will simply leave for greener pastures if they don’t get playing time. But, back in the early 2000s and even before, it wasn’t unusual for a player to take a year before becoming a contributing member of the team.
“You want to talk about having to wait your turn? I been playing basketball my whole life and my first year of D-I college, I have to sit out the entire year,” Wade remembered. “It was hard. It was days where I did not want to do it. It was days that you’re working your a** off and there’s no immediate reward that’s coming back from it.”
Wade was on the scout team, so he would mimic the opposing team’s best player so that his teammates could better prepare for their upcoming matchups. He would have his coaches pump in crowd noise so that it felt like he was actually in the game. It was a humbling and thankless experience, but it prepared him for when it was his time to shine.
Dwyane Wade’s patience eventually paid off in a big way
There was no NIL to fall back on in those days, and no guarantee of being drafted or being able to make a living on the hardwood. Wade worked hard behind the scenes for the love of the game, and because he was terrified of losing his chance at a free education.
“I was a kid from the inner city of Chicago that did have a D-I scholarship. I would at least be able to get educated and all these things, so the fear of losing that, too, but man I had to sit out the whole year and wait my turn.”
As we all know, Wade made the most of his opportunity when it finally came. He became one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play, and has three NBA championship rings and a Finals MVP in his trophy case.
Wade’s journey should serve as inspiration to the younger generation that even for those who end up becoming one of the greats, nothing is owed to you. Keep your head down, put in the work, and the results will follow.
