The Miami Heat struck gold after they drafted Dwyane Wade with the fifth overall pick in the iconic 2003 NBA Draft. Pat Riley had high expectations from Wade right off the bat and even envisaged him as a franchise player. But he had to ensure that Wade buys into that idea as well.
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Therefore, Riley regularly sent words of affirmation to the young Heat star, trying to convince him that he can be the centerpiece of a Championship team. Miami’s Godfather admitted to sending those texts to D-Wade in an interview later on.
A clip of Riley’s interview, which covered the text messages he sent Wade, was recently posted by Dwyane Wade’s official legacy channel on Instagram. The clip is a screen recording of Riley’s interview, where the veteran coach can be seen saying,
“I texted with this acronym, BIW. All the time, I said, ‘BIW’. Capital letters…[It means] Best in the World. That’s my text to him.”
“Sometimes I used a small ‘b’, medium ‘I’, and big ‘W’. Sometimes I had a big ‘B’, medium ‘I’, small ‘w’…and he [Wade] wanted to know what it means. And I said, ‘One day I tell you,'” Riley added.
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The text messages from his head coach really infused a strong sense of self-belief in Wade. The Flash brought home the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship title in his third year in the league.
Even though the team had veteran superstars like Shaquille O’Neal on the roster, Wade assumed the role of the leader of the team as a youngster. The 2006 NBA Finals really made a strong case for D-Wade being the ‘Best on the World’ as the Heat star secured his first-ever Finals MVP trophy.
Riley’s admission about the text messages he sent to Wade also helps us understand the vision the veteran HC had for the franchise. The Heat President’s mindset at the time helped develop what we now know as the ‘Heat Culture’.
Riley even showed us how it’s done by assuming the head coaching duties in 2005. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for Miami to win the 2006 Finals as the underdogs with an inexperienced leader like Wade at the forefront.
Riley’s guidance played a pivotal part in the Championship run.
Pat Riley has a lot of love and appreciation for Wade
Pat Riley talked extensively about his relationship with Wade following the announcement of the latter’s Hall-of-Fame induction last year.
“It’s just an honor to be there, and for him to be a Miami Heat-lifer to be inducted and to have the Hall of Fame put his jersey in the rafters is gonna be an honor...I’m just so proud of him. I love him dearly,” Riley had said.
There’s no doubt that the Heat President deeply admires Wade for what he has done for the Miami franchise. However, it is evident from his testimony that he also fondly remembers working with the three-time NBA Champion on the hardwood.
