On Monday, Geno Smith took the field as the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks against the man he used to back up — Russell Wilson, who is now with the Denver Broncos.
Smith led the Seahawks to a very close win over Denver, and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade gave him some love on social media right after the game ended.
Wade referenced a comment Smith made during the postgame interview when he was asked about the fans who doubted he could keep the Seahawks competitive.
He has never shown the ability to be anything more than a mediocre QB, but on Monday he went 23 of 28 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He also outplayed Wilson, who was 29 of 42 and threw only one touchdown pass.
Wade knows all about being written off, only to come back and silence his doubters.
In 2006, he led the Heat to their first-ever NBA championship with a dynamo Finals performance, averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game versus the Dallas Mavericks.
His clutch heroics put what he did in that series up there with anything Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have ever done on the big stage.
But in the 2006-07 season, Wade played in just 51 games due to a shoulder injury, and the following year, he missed another 31 contests with a knee ailment.
Miami’s fortunes declined dramatically, as it finished just 15-67 in the 2007-08 campaign, and some wondered if Wade would be able to stay healthy moving forward.
His injuries led to an inspiring sneaker commercial early in his career.
Wade bounced back in a big way in the 2008-09 season, leading the league in scoring while also putting up 7.5 assists a game and leading the Heat back to the playoffs.
When LeBron James took his talents to South Beach in July 2010, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Wade would add to his jewelry collection.
He did just that by winning NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 despite increasing knee troubles.
In doing so, he became quite possibly the greatest player in Heat history.