Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade Mentees – Paul George, CJ McCollum And Jimmy Butler
Paul George is on record about how much Dwyane Wade has helped him in his on-court development. That cannot be questioned.
However, as an 11-year veteran, the Los Angeles Clippers star is putting consideration into his basketball afterlife.
"“D-Wade is a guy I look up to,” Paul George said in 2019. “We have shared a bond through competition and now through mentorship as a guy that I look at and honestly want to model my off-brand, off of the court, stuff like.”"
Whether it is making business moves or helping figure out what jersey to spend time in, it has been documented in print and an ESPN series (My Journey) that Wade is his go-to guy.
This is a common theme. Just look at what CJ McCollum had to say on his relationship with the Miami Heat great.
"“I told him I wanted to be great consistently and I need to be able to talk to him to figure out how he was able to sustain it – not just basketball, but life, like off the court stuff.”"
Call it a coincidence or a well-thought-out plan. Either way, McCollum went from wearing the “number 3” jersey to seeking playoff advice to launching his own wine label, McCollum Heritage 91, like the former Heat star.
Did Wade plant that seed? We may never know, but there is no question what type of influence he had on his buddy Jimmy Butler.
"“I’d always hear back: What about Miami?” Butler’s agent Buddy Lee told Zach Lowe. “I can only assume the person who had a locker near Jimmy for a year and who is in a picture with Jimmy that has been the home screen on Jimmy’s phone had something to do with that.”"
In a way, Wade personally decided who he wanted to take over the reins when he retired in Miami. He knew full well that Butler’s personality would fit with Heat’s team mindset.
An NBA Finals run and Wade-like performances soon followed. This was a case of mentoring an off-court business decision and turning it into an on-court future.
Odds are these will not be the last batch of players to feel his influence. Particularly when the link between Wade and most of these athletes is nothing more than his ability to give them the availability and access to seek his help in any form.
That even stands for the mentees unable to enjoy the postseason, such as Bradley Beal. That, though, is how you solidify a legacy.