The NBA season has kicked off and the Utah Jazz just got their first win in the bag. During their 120-118 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Jazz’s minority owner Dwayne Wade was courtside watching. Wade is also friends with the new Jazz Governor (and majority owner) Ryan Smith. After the game, Wade was seen engaged in a shooting competition with Smith.
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Ryan Smith, who bought the Jazz in 2020, is a billionaire entrepreneur who made his money in the tech space. During the shooting competition, the Jazz owner seemed to lace a few shots. But in the end, the contest wasn’t close. A recent video of the competition showed Dwayne Wade talking trash to Ryan Smith while banking deep threes off the backboard.
In the video, Wade can be heard calling out his shots and making them. The three-time NBA Champion was predicting the way the ball would go into the Bucket before the shots went in. While talking trash to his friend and business partner, Wade said, “Off the glass…Don’t take it personal…. go back and watch film! Go back and watch film!”
The clip even had a caption that read “told Ryan to Google me“. The video, posted by the Utah Jazz, perfectly shows what Wade is capable of in his 40s. He can not only make his iconic bank shot but also has the confidence to call the shot before it goes in. Such a level of consistency is nothing short of elite.
Dwayne Wade embraces part ownership of the Jazz
Dwayne Wade grew up in Chicago, idolizing Michael Jordan. Wade would go on to play for the Miami Heat for 16 seasons, where he would win three Championships. But when it came to being an owner, he chose the Jazz. Unlike players like Michael and LeBron, Wade had never publicly professed the idea of wanting to own a team. But after retirement in 2019, he got close to Jazz Governor Ryan Smith. Smith convinced the NBA legend to dip his feet in ownership, as he conveyed the need for players like him to manage teams.
Wade entered a club of very select few players who own a part of a franchise. The two other players are Shaquille O’Neal with the Sacramento Kings and Grant Hill with the Atlanta Hawks. Talking about the experience Wade said, “This goes way beyond the dream I had to just play basketball in the NBA. I’ve seen Shaq do it in Sacramento. Seen Grant Hill do it in Atlanta. I’ve seen Jordan do it in Charlotte. If this partnership is going to be anything like my relationship is with Ryan, there are going to be a lot of things that I’ll want to be involved in.”
But Wade’s words haven’t been all empty as the valuation of the Jazz has gone up since he arrived. A recent report showed that the Jazz have seen a 28% increase in valuation since Wade joined the team. Wade even posted the same on his Twitter, deciding to talk a little smack off the court as well. But none of this is surprising to him.
Wade is known for taking risks, especially taking paths less traveled. When every star player was signing with Nike or Adidas, Wade had the foresight to sign with Li-Ning. Since then, many players like CJ McCollum and Jimmy Butler have followed suit. With the Jazz building around Lauri Markkanen, it would be interesting to see how Wade can assist in building a contender in Utah again.
