As the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Dwyane Wade was one of the most sought-after athletes in the league. Usually when someone gets picked that high up in the draft, there are a lot of expectations from them in their rookie season. Fortunately for Wade, he was part of a draft class that’s considered by many as one of the all-time best.
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Wade made it into the league alongside LeBron James, the first pick in the draft, and Carmelo Anthony, the third overall pick. During an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s ‘Quite Frankly’ show in 2005, The Flash talked about how being a part of such an elite draft class helped ease some pressure off his shoulders. He claimed that it allowed him to make mistakes while not being berated for it.
He said, “When I first came in, I wasn’t expected to do much at first. Almost like flying under the radar. I had LeBron and Carmelo, them guys was the talk of my draft. So, I was flying under the radar and it gave me opportunity to mess up on the court. I am thankful for that.”
Wade was immediately reminded by Stephen A. that he lost the first seven games of the regular season in his rookie year. He made good use of the freedom he received. The pressure of living up to the expectation can be immense for anyone at the age of 21, let alone a rookie about to get the first taste of the big league.
The NBA legend soon got used to playing high-pressure games, and the result was plain for everyone to see the following years.
Wade won an NBA title before LeBron
Even though Wade had a slow start in comparison to Melo and LeBron, he was the first one to get his hands on an NBA title. In 2006, he took the Miami Heat to a championship win and won FMVP as well. It took LeBron six more years to win his first ring in 2012 and that too was done with the help of Wade as his teammate.
Wade was the second of the top 5 picks in the draft to win a title, after Darko Miličić at #2. He was, however, the first to win the Finals MVP. He also joined James, Carmelo, and Chris Bosh on the 2008 Olympic Squad as part of USA’s iconic ‘Redeem Team’.
Wade and Bosh have already been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, and it’ll only be a matter of time before Carmelo joins them. As for James, the question of when his induction takes place is entirely dependent on him. Since criteria state a player has to have been retired for 5 years to be eligible, James would have to end his career first.
