Dwyane Wade has been helping his children in every step of their life. However, now that Zaire is all grown up, Wade revealed that he’s had to leave his son on read so that the youngster can figure things out for himself. On a recent episode of his podcast, the Flash revealed how by not texting his son back he was preparing Zaire for the difficult journey of life.
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“I left my son on read recently… Because I’m like, you just gonna have to figure this one out, bro… To dream of going to NBA, you thought it was just going to be a smooth ride, bro? You thought you was going to be able to dream it and say, I want to go to NBA, and it’s just going to happen? Do you know all the barriers that’s going to get in the way in life, so you don’t get there?”
As someone who went through all the hardships of life to get to the stage where he is now, Wade wants his son to embrace a similar perspective.
“It’s hard for me as someone who went through all that, be uncomfortable, struggle, not want to do it, but end up doing it, and then end up getting what I wanted. I’m like, you got to get on the other side of hard. Like, that’s the only way you reach what you want. You got to go through hard.”
It is great to see the three-time NBA champ choose not to spoon-feed his son. However, there is some form of hypocrisy in Wade’s comments. Zaire spent a season in the NBA’s G-League. The team that he represented during that lone season is the G-League affiliate of the Utah Jazz – the franchise that Dwyane Wade is part of the ownership team of. B
ut, D-Wade didn’t exploit his power and get Zaire to continue to play in the G-League or join the NBA through nepotism.
D-Wade wanted to be actively involved in his son’s journey to the NBA
Dwayne has now taken the approach where he wants his 22-year-old to go through the hardships and struggles like any other NBA player has. However, Wade didn’t have the same mentality a few years ago.
In 2020, the 2006 Finals MVP made it extremely clear that he was going to be hands-on in helping his son achieve his NBA dreams. While Zaire was in the “driver’s seat”, the legendary shooting guard claimed that he was in the “passenger’s seat”.
“Definitely not taking a backseat. I’m in the passenger’s seat, but I’m definitely not in the backseat. He’s in the driver’s seat… If basketball is the ultimate goal, then I’m just trying to help him along the way, understanding there’s so many different ways to get to this goal,” Wade said, per People.
Even without his father’s help, Zaire is making a name for himself. While playing in the NBA didn’t work out in his favor, Zaire chose to play overseas. After a year in the Basketball Africa League, he’s now part of the Macau Black Bears in the ASEAN Basketball League. Fans of the Wade family hope that Zaire manages to improve his game over the next few years and finds an NBA team interested in acquiring him.
