• Dwyane Wade shares how Pat Riley taught him some valuable lessons
• Wade played 15 out of his 17 seasons in the NBA with the Miami Heat
• The future Hall of Famer gave insights on what is the Heat culture
Dwyane Wade was drafted by the Miami Heat using the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The Heat’s decision paid off as Wade led them to an NBA Championship in just his third season in the league.
Pat Riley was the coach of the Heat during the 2005-06 season after he took over Stan Van Gundy. Riley led the team to a 41-20 record under his coaching. Speaking of Riley, Wade recently revealed the most valuable lessons he learned from him in an interview with Bobby Krivitsky of Sports Illustrated.
“Oh man, I love Pat,” Wade said. “I’ve grown up in front of Pat Riley’s eyes. I was 21 years old with a one-and-a-half-year-old and a wife when I first came in. And I went through divorces, custody battles, lawsuits, injuries, tears, we’ve won championships, we’ve poured champagne on each other, we’ve hugged each other, we’ve given each other, you know, those cheek kisses, we’ve said, ‘I love you.’ We’ve done it all.”
He added: “We’ve had spats back and forth in the office. We’ve had all kinds of things. And ultimately, at the end of the day, Pat Riley has been a big part of my life and helped me understand what it’s like to be a man in this world and to be a businessman. And some of that stuff has come with tough love. And we’ve talked about those. I’ve had to leave and come back because of tough love. But whatever the case may be, ultimately, when I think of Pat Riley, I think of nothing but good things.”
Wade then shared his experience of meeting Riley after getting drafted by the Heat and how he’s thankful for the decorated coach’s involvement in his career.
“I remember walking into Miami the day after the draft and being in awe of this man,” Wade added. “Shaking his hand and understanding that he was the one who was gonna help me accomplish all the things I wanted to accomplish. And so, I can’t walk away from Miami, and as I said recently, I can’t just take the bad, but I’ve got to take the good too. And it was a lot of good that we built together. And so, I’m thankful for that man.”
Pat Riley coached Dwyane Wade for three seasons. But their association continued long after that as Riley moved to an executive role for the organization.
Dwyane Wade Explains The Heat Culture With The Sacrifices He Made For The Team
Dwyane Wade wore the Miami Heat jersey for 15 seasons. Evidently, he has a great idea about what the Heat culture is about.
Wade shared his take on the Heat culture in the same interview with Sports Illustrated. He named which players helped in developing the ever-so-famous culture of the franchise.
“Well, of course, you know, I’ve had a huge impact on the Heat culture. I took the baton that was given to me by Eddie Jones, by Brian Grant, that was given to them by Alonzo Mourning, by Glen Rice. All these people who have played, all the great players. Udonis and I took the baton, and we felt some pride with it. And we stood strong with it. And to his 20 years, until this year, he’s been holding firm with, ‘Hey, this is what accountability looks like here.”
D-Wade added: “And that’s why you’re able to have success in an organization like that. When LeBron and Chris Bosh come down, ‘Hey, this is how we do it here. This is what accountability looks like. This is what our culture looks like.’ And so that was my job. That’s what I was taught. And that’s what I was told. ‘This is what’s gonna get me to success?! I got to do this?! Then let me do this.'”
Dwyane Wade shared how the likes of Udonis Haslem and Jimmy Butler carried the Heat culture even after his retirement from the NBA.
“And, you know, when you look back at it, and you look at all the success that you’ve had, it’s because of that accountability to yourself,” Wade mentioned. “And to not only the organization but to your teammates, as well. So, Udonis and I have carried it, and he’s continued to since I retired. And hopefully, Jimmy Butler and the rest of the guys can continue that because that’s what we were built on.”
Haslem has always been a great example of what the Heat culture stands for. Now, Butler has taken the baton from Haslem. Jimmy led the team to two NBA Finals appearances in the last four seasons.
Butler always expects his teammates to give their sparkling best in each game. If he can lead the franchise to an NBA Championship, he will truly become one of the legends of the organization.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
