Pending approval from the WNBA board of governors, Miami Heat legend and Chicago native Dwyane Wade will become a part-owner of the Chicago Sky.
This is huge news for the WNBA as it continues to grow its exposure and gain more fans. Wade has the same goals in mind as the league and wants to help it become bigger and bigger, saying:
Instead of tweeting out and saying ‘go support the W,’ instead of showing up at the game and supporting, I wanted to take it to that next level, and this was the next level for me.
Wade of course starred for the Miami Heat from 2003-04 to 2015-16, making the All-Star Game every year from 04-05 to 15-16 and leading the NBA in scoring in 08-09. He earned his reputation as a clutch performer when he won Finals MVP while playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal in 2006. He would go on to successfully recruit one of the most highly-sought free agents of all time in LeBron James over the summer of 2010. James, Wade and Chris Bosh formed a big three that won championships in 2012 and 2013.
Wade knows what it’s like to play professional basketball in his hometown; he joined the Chicago Bulls in 2016-17 for his age-35 season and still had a lot left in the tank, averaging 18.3 points per game before going to Cleveland and returning to Miami (both in 2017-18). He retired after spending the 2018-19 season with the Heat and making one last All-Star Game appearance.
Wade is now a part-owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and MLS’s Real Salt Lake.
It was a cool story when Wade went to play for the Bulls and it’s a cool story as he returns to Chicago again. Not only is it another homecoming for him, but it’s also good to see such a high-profile male basketball player supporting his female counterparts in such a big way.