Last year, the Miami Heat put a stamp on Dwyane Wade’s legacy by unveiling a bronze statue. “I was born and raised in Chicago, but this is where I grew up… There’s no love like Miami love,” he said. In his 16-year NBA career, the majority of the time was in Miami, but the journey was never easy. Pitted against 2003 draft mates Carmelo Anthony & LeBron James, on and off the court, the challenges only made the story more interesting. Yet, D-Wade always chose his own path to define his success.

The narrative from the 03 draft was always about the kid from Ohio, making it big in the league. Some even said he might be the next Michael Jordan. Nike cashed in on the potential and made him their star. But Dwyane Wade, too, got his deal. “I actually thought at the time it was perfect. Because we all were in the same family, the same umbrella. We all had our own different brands.” Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Kicks On SI, the Heat icon was happy to be part of Converse, which was under Nike. LeBron was Nike’s poster boy, and Jordan brand chose Carmelo Anthony, which did not bother the 3x NBA champion.

“And then me, coming in is like a part of my story. Converse was getting back into basketball and they was looking for a face, Nike had just bought them. And then, boom, here I am. And I actually became a player probably sooner than people thought would become pretty good in the NBA.” In just his 3rd year, he was instrumental in guiding his team to win the championship. The quickest of the three superstars.

“So that even skyrocketed, probably quicker than they even thought. So, I thought it was perfect at that time that we all had our own brands,” explained Wade. But after 5 shoes with Converse, a change was coming.

Switching from one subsidiary brand of Nike, a company with a current market cap of $89 billion, to another, the Michael Jordan brand was not the choice D-Wade made. In fact, it was an ultimatum brought to him. The 43-year-old revealed there was some internal conflict going on at the time, and Nike wanted to keep the Heat star happy. “Nike was like, ‘Okay, well, we had to do something with our guy’. So, they pulled me over and was like, ‘It’s either going to be Nike or Jordan.’ I’m like, ‘Well, Jordan, for me, I’m a Chicago guy. This is why I play the game of basketball.'”

Although the final say from Michael Jordan to join the brand was pending, Dwayne Wade recalled the moment, being nervous, and hoping the deal would come through. Then the call from His Airness was just the thing the 3x NBA champion wanted to hear. After a potential move to Jordan had fallen through in 2008, Wade had what he wanted. “He was telling me that he wanted me to be the face of the brand with the other guys that were there.”

But the brand already had Melo and Chris Paul, yet that didn’t matter to the Heat legend. “It was different from Converse because I went from being the face to a part of the family. But that’s what I wanted at that time. So, it just worked out well,” said Wade. And his exit from Converse didn’t mean he left things on a sour note.

Back in 2009, Wade paid a heartfelt tribute to the brand. “When I came into the NBA, I didn’t have a lot of exposure and Converse gave me an opportunity to head a brand and be the face of a brand. I’m really thankful for six long, good years. I’ve gotten five shoes out of the deal and my dream came true at the Converse brand, because they put my name on a pair of sneakers.” 

For the Jordan brand, there were only 3 signature shoes released before the Chicago native decided to follow the path of his idol.

Dwyane Wade recalled his “unthinkable” decision

The year was 2012, and the Big 3 of Miami captured their first title and were favorites to repeat it again, which they eventually did. There were no changes in the team, but D-Wade decided to leave Jordan brand, and his search ended in China with Li-Ning. Yes, at the time, it may have been a very odd move for Wade to take such a drastic step. But there are reasons for it.

Firstly, he was getting more money compared to his previous contract with Nike. Secondly, he was made Chief Brand Officer of the Way of Wade brand, which gave him more control. That’s why, after his contract expiry with the Air Jordan brand, he signed with the Chinese Sportswear company. Having control and creating his own legacy gave Dwyane Wade the feeling that he could do what Michael Jordan did with his brand.

Later, he signed a lifetime contract in 2018. At the time, he became the 3rd basketball player, alongside his idol Michael Jordan and his former teammate LeBron James, to sign lifetime apparel contracts.  To celebrate that decision, last year D-Wade added a story on his Instagram. “12 years ago I made a decision which was unthinkable…” The story also included the launch of his 11th signature shoe with the brand, Way of Wade 11.