Soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade was one of the greatest players in NBA history. During his career, he won three NBA championships with the Miami Heat and was a 13-time NBA All-Star. Wade also earned eight All-NBA honors.
In order to achieve what he did, Wade needed to have a variety of skills to compete in the most competitive basketball league in the world. Wade certainly had a big bag of tricks. During his 16 season NBA career, Wade performed a wide set of signature skills.
Wade’s combination of speed and skill made him an elite offensive NBA player. He was also an impactful player on defense. Here are Dwyane Wade’s top five signature moves he performed on the court during his professional career.
5. Pick-and-Roll
The pick-and-roll was a go-to set for Wade, especially early in his career. He ran the pick-and-roll with many different teammates as the screener, but one of his favorite screen-setters was Udonis Haslem. The move relied on Wade’s speed and Haslem’s strength to generate points, and often resulted in a basket.
During the Big Three era, Wade ran pick-and-roll with LeBron James as a screener. The combo proved to be nearly unstoppable, greatly improved the Heat offense and was one of the key plays that led to two NBA championships.
4. Blocks
Dwyane Wade is arguably the greatest shot blocking guard of all-time. The Heat have always been known for having a solid defense, so having Wade as an extra backside defender was an added bonus.
Wade recorded a total of 885 blocks during his career, trailing only Michael Jordan for the most for a guard in NBA history. When factoring in playoffs, Wade has the most blocks by a guard with a total of 1,060 career blocks.
3. Lob Pass
Wade’s passing ability is often underrated due to his terrific slashing and scoring ability. However, most of the passes he threw during his playing years were very accurate. This is an important skill to have when throwing lob passes, and Wade has plenty of highlights to prove he was one of the best lob passers.
Wade’s lob passing peaked during the Big Three era and it’s no secret why — the Heat added LeBron James, a 6-foot-9, 250 pound freight train who could run as fast and jump as high as anyone in the NBA. Wade racked up plenty of assists throwing alley-oop passes to LeBron, who threw down dunks with ease. Every alley-oop highlight between the two players was special.
2. Eurostep
Wade’s eurostep ranks right up there with Manu Ginobili as one of the best in league history. This is the move that helped Wade earn the nickname “Flash.” Due to his speed and athleticism, Wade could finesse his way to the basket with his footwork when he wasn’t exploding to the rim for glass-shaking dunks.
A good eurostep is a must for modern NBA guards. Wade was one of the first players to perfect the move. It helped him score many of his 23,165 career points.
1. Pump Fake
Wade’s most unstoppable move has to be his shot fake. He would typically pick up his dribble and fake a jump shot, which the defender often fell for. Once the defender is in the air, Wade could restart his shooting motion and draw contact, earning himself a trip to the free throw line.
Before players like James Harden and Trae Young adopted the art of the shot fake, Wade was one of the quickest players in his fundamental motions. Due to recent rule changes resulting in an offensive foul when the shooter initiates contact, Wade probably wouldn’t get away with as many pump fakes as he did while he played. However, it caused all sorts of trouble for opposing defenders during his 16-year career.