Retired Miami Heat icon Dwyane Wade will have a prime seat for Sunday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, replacing Charles Barkley as an analyst on TNT for the annual contest.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald indicated that Barkley will still be working the clash, only he’ll be with his regular TNT studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green.
“Heat legend Dwyane Wade will have quite a stage for his debut as an NBA game analyst: Sunday’s All-Star Game,” Jackson wrote.
“Wade, who has worked exclusively as a game analyst for TNT, will call the All-Star Game with Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller. Barkley originally was expected to call the game with Harlan and Miller, but Turner instead opted to use its studio crew – Johnson, Smith, Barkley, O’Neal and Draymond Green – on an alternate telecast of the All-Star Game on TBS.”
Wade is certainly no stranger to the All-Star Game after being selected 13 times to play in the game. He didn’t play in the 2015 matchup at Madison Square Garden because of injury, but made 10 starts in the contest during his incredible career.
The most stellar All-Star performance of Wade’s career came in 2010, when he earned Most Valuable Player accolades for his performance. In 31 minutes of action, Wade collected 28 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Two years later, Wade also put together a strong All-Star performance, but lost out in the MVP balloting to Kevin Durant, who was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time. In that 2012 effort played in Orlando, Wade tallied 24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and a pair of steals.
Wade’s presence in Cleveland may rekindle some memories for him of his brief time as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing in 46 games for the Cavs during the 2017-18 season, Wade averaged 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game before being dealt to the Heat at the trade deadline.
Given the casual nature of the game, there’s not likely to be much serious critique of how Wade performs in the role. The fact that he has past experience in offering game analysis should make it worth watching for both Heat fans and basketball fans in general.