NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill appear to sit for an entirely new career in the world of politics. The two former players are reportedly high in the reckoning for Florida Democrats who are looking for a strong candidate to run against Senator Rick Scott in 2024. However, the superstar isn’t exactly a model citizen, going by his recent past. Earlier in 2022, he was accused of using expansive amounts of water in his LA home, reportedly consuming as much as 500,000 gallons in one month.
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In April 2023, Wade had moved out of Florida citing the safety of his family due to the state’s anti-LGBT legislation. It will be interesting to see how and if these past incidents play a role in a potential switch to politics.
Will Dwyane Wade be making a dramatic career switch and joining politics?
Dwyane Wade spent some of his best years as an NBA player with the Miami Heat, with 3 NBA titles along the way. According to the NBC report, Wade has been in consideration and active efforts have already been made to encourage him to join the state political scene.
Report: Donors showing interest in Dwyane Wade to run for US Senate in Florida https://t.co/dkWz7SvC8D
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 9, 2023
However, now, along with Grant Hill, the 41-year-old has rocketed toward the top of the list for Florida Democrats looking for someone to rival Rick Scott. However, according to Ray Paultre, executive director of the Florida Alliance, Wade is among a list of 4-5 “dream candidates” for the job:
“Dwyane Wade is a Florida legend, whose leadership past and present has a lot of folks in our state sending feelers out. We have seen former athletes, in both parties, bring something special to the political landscape. He hasn’t been officially approached, but he is on the list of four or five dream candidates to challenge Rick Scott.”
Wade is not the first NBA star to be considered for public office. Former All-NBA selection Kevin Johnson has served as the mayor for his hometown Sacramento as a Democrat from 2008. KJ won a second term in 2012 as well.
D-Wade being seriously considered to run against Florida Senator Rick Scott
While Wade is being seriously considered, whether he will accept such a proposal remains to be seen. First and foremost, the NBA legend was accused of wasting thousands of gallons of water every month while living in his Hidden Hills home in California. He was among several celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, and Sylvester Stallone, who had all been guilty of exceeding their water budgets.
Wade had even ended up paying hefty fines as the state government took measures amidst LA’s worst drought in 128 years. Furthermore, the player also does not seem to be a fan of the political landscape in Florida.
After an anti-LGBT bill that prohibited instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity unless stipulated by the state education standards was passed, Wade claimed that his family no longer felt accepted or comfortable in the state.
Whether Dwyane Wade will look at this opportunity as a chance of bringing about serious change remains to be seen. However, considering his past run-in and issues with tremendous water wastage, Florida Democrats might as well end up choosing someone else from the list.
