Former Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade doesn’t need another line in his resume. His on-court legacy is stamped as a three-time champion, the Heat’s all-time leading scorer, and one of the best shooting guards of all time. Now, though, he’s somehow landed squarely in a place reserved for supermodels and fashion royalty.

It’s not another sneaker drop, or, for that matter, anything sports-related at all. Wade has been revealed as the latest face of JPMorgan Chase’s Chase Sapphire Reserve. He’s joining a campaign already featuring Hailey Bieber and Claudia Schiffer, a pairing that says more about where Wade’s brand lives now, in his life after basketball.

Six years removed from retirement and at 43 years old, Wade has quietly built an extremely versatile portfolio: Broadcaster for Prime, entrepreneur, author, game show host, Vintner, and even minority owner of the Utah Jazz. Now, he’s become an increasingly fashion-forward figure whose off-court presence might rival his Hall of Fame resume, and that’s exactly why Chase has come calling.

The Sapphire Reserve campaign has spent a big part of the last six months bringing in various cultural heavyweights, like chef David Change, actor (and huge New York Knicks fan) Ben Stiller, and musician Ella Langley, but Wade has his own specific lane within that group.

He’s set to the be third “fashion plate” for the rollout alongside Bieber and Schiffer, who helped launch the campaign earlier this year, photographed by well-known fashion photographer David Sims, styled in designer fits and posed holding an oversized version of a Sapphire Reserve card.

That visual isn’t accidental. Chase isn’t trying to sell credit limits or APRs, but taste, and according to JPMorgan Chase global chief brand officer Leanne Fremar, the connective tissue between Wade, Bieber, and Schiffer is a sense of authenticity. She explained that each of them has a “way of loving to travel and dine,” which are the lifestyle pillars that the Sapphire Reserve is built on.

Why Chase Sapphire Reserve Chose Dwyane Wade for Its Luxury Reintroduction

The timing matters. Sapphire Reserve was a massive success and a cultural phenomenon when it debuted in 2016, spawning such an overwhelming viral demand that Chase reportedly ran out of the metal alloy used to make the cards. But now, the luxury credit card market has changed. Annual fees are higher – Sapphire Reserve has gone from $500 to $795 – and competition is much fiercer.

The market isn’t niche anymore. The metal card segment is valued at roughly $2.3 billion globally, and is projected to hit $10.5 billion by 2031, and with that kind of money, Chase is changing. They’re not just reminding customers what the card offers, but what it represents.

Dwyane Wade, with an approximate $170 million net worth, isn’t the typical cardholder, but he’s not meant to be. He’s an aspiration, the standard that affluent customers want to see themselves in, and carrying the metal card in the photoshoots, he’s meant to be the future Chase is selling.

For the former Heat, this moment is only possible because of how because he didn’t stop after basketball. He kept evolving after culture, fashion, and business, and he now finds himself not as an athlete trying to fit in, but someone who already belongs.

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