Dwyane Wade grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and that gave him inspiration to play basketball and be the legend that he is. DWade still remembers his first interaction with Jordan on draft night. Wade was picked by the Miami Heat on the 2003 NBA draft night. He was the overall fifth pick with names like LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh that were called earlier.
After getting picked on the draft night, Wade celebrated with a few of his friends at a nightclub. There was an incident that happened to him which he shared in the recent episode of “The Headliners” hosted by Rachel Nichols.
Wade remembered, “My cousin Antoine, he came up to me and he said, ‘Bro, Michael Jordan is here. And I said, ‘Where is he at?’ So, I’m thinking he’s playing games with me. I’m like, ‘Where he at?’ And he’s like, ‘He’s outside. They won’t let him in.’ He’s like, ‘Bro, I’m not playing.’
The news forced Wade and his cousin out of the nightclub and there ahead of a horde of motorcycles, he saw Jordan, who was there to congratulate Wade and show him some love.
“I don’t know why they won’t let Mike in,” Wade added. “He had 50 people with him, probably. But, yeah, he was outside and he was on a motorcycle. ‘I was coming through to show you some love. Congratulations.’
“That was a true story. That was my first time meeting Michael Jordan and it was the coolest experience ever. He was sitting on a motorcycle looking cool,” Wade concluded.
Michael Jordan played in the NBA for the last time in the 2002-03 season. Unfortunately, he hung up his jersey a season before Wade was drafted so he never got an opportunity to play with or against him in the NBA.
Jordan played his last two years with the Washington Wizards but he is always remembered as a Chicago Bulls legend. Wade was always a big admirer of Air Jodan and that incident at the nightclub made him an even bigger fan.
Also what’s more inspiring is that after almost 20 years from that incident, Dwyane Wade will be joining his idol in the NBA Hall of Fame alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Gregg Popovich. Wade played the majority of his career for the Miami Heat and won three Championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2006.
