So many kids want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. It’s not uncommon to want to do what a family member does, and it’s helpful to have someone there to mentor you in that field. But, what happens when the career you’re chasing is the most competitive job interview on the planet? Well, Zaire Wade, the son of NBA legend Dwyane Wade, has found out firsthand how hard it can be.
Advertisement
Zaire was a 3-star prospect out of high school and had offers from four Division 1 colleges — DePaul, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Toledo. However, he chose to skip it and enlisted for the NBA G League Draft. There, he was selected as the 10th pick by the Salt Lake City Stars. He played 12 games, averaging 1.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, before suffering a season-ending injury.
The 23-year-old joined DWade on an episode of “The Why with Dwyane Wade” to discuss the path his NBA dream has taken. Zaire’s experience is vastly different from that of his father as he made it to the NBA largely through the relationship his father has with the Utah Jazz, whose G-League affiliate signed Zaire.
Dwyane focused on how his son has everything needed to succeed in the NBA, the genes, the motivation, the resources, and yet it looks like it’s not going to work out. Zaire explained his workout schedule, which starts with a 7 AM start time and includes regular two-a-days, but it doesn’t seem at the same level of the rigorous standard we saw from players like Kobe Bryant.
It’s a difficult middle ground to find. While it’s understandable that Zaire has a dream that he wants to keep alive, in his own words saying “ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be an NBA player”, but it’s also hard not to see the results.
It seems like something isn’t clicking right for Wade’s eldest. Despite his last name, Zaire continues to struggle to find his way to the grandest stage of basketball, which is something his father had warned him about in the past. Talking to Rajon Rondo on his pod, Wade shared what he has tried to instill in his son.
“You have to be a pro,” Wade said, “it don’t matter what your name is, how talented you are, you have to show up every day as a pro.”
Since his 2021 G League stint, Zaire has played a season in the Basketball Africa League and then joined the Macau Black Bears of The Asian Tournament. He applied for the 2024 G League Draft once again, but was not selected by any team. The 23-year-old’s NBA Dreams seem to be fading, but he seems to have made strides in other arenas.
What does the future hold?
Zaire is not currently playing basketball at any major level, although he does still have dreams of getting back to the NBA and achieving his lifelong goal. Lessons can be learned anywhere, and this is no different. Even if Wade can’t follow in his father’s footsteps on the court, he has still found a niche through the sports apparel world with shoe company Li-Ning.
However, when one door closes, another opens. For Wade, it was joining Li-Ning, the Chinese shoe company that his father had been a part of before. While D’Angelo Russell is the face of the brand for now, the reviews for Zaire’s “Son of Flash” collection have been hugely positive.
“You want to be like Pops growing up…” said Wade. “I’m just trying to embrace who I am.”
Zaire is always going to be compared to his father, a logic he himself had to unlearn. But in pursuit of finding who he should be, he has grown into a strong-willed figure.
