It seems like Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is a basketball lifer.
The 41-year-old has found ways to keep himself around the game since his retirement in 2019, and now, he’s reportedly interested in investing in the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.
“Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade walked through Sky practice Tuesday at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield as if he owned the place — not arrogantly, but with the apparent comfort of feeling right at home,” wrote Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“According to two sources, Wade, a 13-time All-Star, has expressed interest in investing in the Sky.
“‘It was a great day,’ Wade told the Sun-Times on his way out of the building.”
The Sky’s first season in the WNBA came in the 2006 campaign, and since then, the team has enjoyed a good amount of success. Chicago won the WNBA title in the 2021 season under head coach James Wade, who is Dwyane’s cousin.
James Wade is still the team’s head coach today and also serves as the Sky’s general manager. Dwyane Wade clearly has a solid connection within the franchise.
This year, the Sky are 5-5 so far. The 2023 WNBA season is in full swing and will last into the fall.
Dana Evans, a guard for the Sky, spoke about Dwyane Wade after he visited the team on Tuesday.
“We need people like him,” she said. “We need more NBA players to help expand the WNBA, and he talked a lot about that. It was pretty encouraging.”
Fellow guard Marina Mabrey added more.
“He told us, ‘We see you, and we see your hard work,'” she said.
As the WNBA continues to grow, it would undoubtedly be big news for the league (and the Sky) to add someone like Dwyane Wade to the mix. The three-time NBA champion was certainly responsible for turning plenty of folks into basketball fans during his playing days, and he now has a chance to continue to do that.
Dwyane Wade was born in Chicago, so if he were to invest in the Sky, it would likely be a meaningful venture for him. Time will tell if the dominoes fall that way.
The legendary shooting guard spent almost his entire career with the Heat and finished his time in the NBA with 13 All-Star selections, three rings and one Finals MVP award. He’s set to officially become a Hall of Famer this summer, giving him yet another special accolade to add to his list of accomplishments.
