“I tried not to lose my mind when he first gave it to me because that’s unbelievable. I’m trying not to be a fan, but I am a fan, and I am a huge fan of his game.” Bradley Beal couldn’t hide his excitement when his favorite player exchanged jerseys with him. Back in 2019, Dwyane Wade was doing his ‘One Last Dance,’ and was more than willing to pass the torch to young players. Many players over time, have shared their appreciation of the Heat legend. One such is a Memphis rookie, who won the Rookie of the Month award in November.

“Growing up, Dwyane Wade was my favorite player. I used to be a smaller guard, so that’s where that came from. I liked his game on both sides of the floor as a smaller guard doing things that made him play like a bigger guard.” The Heat connection for Jaylen Wells also transfers to another Heat star as he spoke to Michael Scotto.

“A current guard that I like is Jimmy Butler. I feel like his game is very simple, and that’s kind of the player I am. I do simple things and whatever it’s going to take to win. That’s the kind of player he is. He has that winning mentality, and he plays both sides of the floor.”

Interestingly, he is not a Heat fan anymore as Wells told Chris Dodson last month. “I grew up being a Heat fan, (but) I’m not a Heat fan anymore…I don’t even know when that (Grizzlies versus Heat) game is, to be honest with you.”

Despite not being a Heat fan anymore, the 21-year-old couldn’t hide his appreciation for Dwyane Wade. And has adapted his game very well for today’s NBA games. Because ‘The Flash’ relied more on his strength and displayed a wonderful job around the rim.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies rookie favors shooting from beyond the arc, as his current average is 38.3%. Last season representing the Washington State, he was at 41.7% from the deep.

Only playing 25 games this season, Wells has already matched up against LeBron James, Paul Goerge and many others. Only time will tell how his first season pans out. But he is certainly not the only one to be impacted by the Heat legend.

Other rookies who looked up to Dwyane Wade

“He’s always done it the right way. You never hear him with off-court type of stuff. He brought championships to this city.” Kevin Huerter, played his first season in the league, when Dwyane Wade played his last.

And apart from players like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Bradley Beal, Huerter also had the pleasure of exchanging his jerseys. And it was the 3x NBA Champion who initiated the exchange which caught the current Hawks star by surprise.

Even Michael Jordan’s incarnation once called Wade his inspiration. “Two of my favorite players, Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo, were coached by Tom Crean, and he’s a great coach. They came in, not highly rated, and came out really good. It weighed big on me.” Edwards told 247Sports’ Evan Daniels in 2019.

Often referred to as one of the best two-way guards after Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade’s qualities stood the test of time. That’s why he also became the first person in Heat’s history to receive the honor of the statue. Plus, the future generation of players crediting him as inspiration is like the cherry on top for Wade.