Imitation as a form of flattery has always been a sign of the greats marking their legacies—and Dwyane Wade is no different. Like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson, before him, the former Miami Heat star’s reach has gained him a budding player following.
Wade has always been vocal about the influence those three legends have had on him in all aspects of the game. He looked up to Jordan, Bryant, and Iverson, took pieces of their games, work ethic, and propelled himself into their stratosphere of top shooting guards the game has ever seen for the Miami Heat.
Now, Wade is doing things in a similar way for his younger counterparts.
For one, he is showing those behind him how to successfully transition into their second act.
Besides continuing endorsements from his playing career, Wade has released a book, a documentary, has ownership in restaurants, the Utah Jazz, Wade Cellars, Stance, and a sneaker company (Li-Ning), where he has signed other athletes.
There are also television gigs with TNT and TBS. But let us bring it back to basketball.
He has been retired for three seasons, yet his impact is still being felt between the lines. For lack of a better term, Wade has a number of children in the NBA.
And, almost, all of them are or were embedded in this year’s postseason.
The ones featured in the upcoming sections have all idolized, stolen moves from, been mentored by, or compared to the Miami Heat’s greatest player ever and to the point where he is gauged as their ceiling.