Dwyane Wade was one of the most influential players in the modern NBA. Several players who grew up in the 2000s would even idolize Wade. Victor Oladipo was one of the many athletes who was mesmerized by “The Flash”. Sharing mutual respect, the $175 million worth Heat legend recently shared a clip in which Oladipo was crediting his success to D-Wade.
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Wade and Oladipo had a mentor-mentee relationship even before the latter set foot on the NBA hardwood. In fact, it was Dwayne’s words that inspired Vic to commit to Indiana University. Later when Oladipo made it to the league, the two often spoke about the admiration between them. Even during the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Wade displayed love for the two-time All-Star on Twitter.
Yet again, Wade’s recent social media activity displays the special relationship that the two share.
Dwyane Wade shares a clip of Victor Oladipo praising him
Instagram account Wade Legacy posted a clip of an old Victor Oladipo podcast appearance. In the clip, the combo guard spoke about Wade’s importance in his career. The two-way star went on to reveal his interaction with D-Wade at the White House.
During his high school days, ‘Vic’ was one of the 15 students invited to a Father’s Day dinner at the White House. Little did he know that his role model, Dwayne Wade, was going to be one of the mentors of his section. After talking to the former Marquette superstar, Oladipo was convinced that coach Tom Crean’s guidance would be beneficial for him. The very next day, the exciting prospect committed to Indiana University.
“I remember sitting at the table and Dwayne goes ‘Do you guys have any questions?’ And I raised my hand. I said ‘how was it, having Tom Crean as a coach?’ And his exact words were ‘he’s the reason why I’m the man I am today’. And I committed the next day.”
A Hoosier for 3 years, Oladipo averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds before getting selected by the Orlando Magic with their 2nd pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. Crediting Wade for all the success that he’s achieved, the 2018 Most Improved Player said:
“So, Dwayne has a lot of responsibility for my success as a human being. But most importantly, as an athlete. Just because he was a role model for me.”
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Wade couldn’t help but share the reel on his Instagram story. Have a look at the screenshot of the three-time NBA Champ’s story in NBA Celeb Update’s tweet.
Dwyane Wade shows love to Victor Oladipo, who credited Wade for his success pic.twitter.com/sLCerb4OOO
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) July 2, 2023
Hopefully, these two players’ relationship serves as an example for others in the NBA. After all, the league could only benefit from the better players that come as a result of this kind of advice.
Oladipo gets traded back to the Oklahoma City Thunder
Due to the horrific injuries sustained early in the postseason, Oladipo was unable to contribute to the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals. Averaging merely 11 points and 3.5 assists during his injury-riddled, three-year stint with the Florida franchise, the All-NBA player has now been traded back to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder will acquire “Victor Oladipo and draft compensation to absorb his $9.45 million expiring contract”.
Vic donned the OKC uniform for the 2016-2017 season. During his lone campaign with the Oklahoma side, the Guard lodged 15.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. It’ll be exciting to see how Oladipo’s second stint with the Thunder pans out.
