Dwyane Wade had to leave his home at the age of 16 to become who he is today. Despite that, his father was able to instill all his values in his son. Many a time, The Flash looks like a spitting image of his father. Both share the same name and some traits too. The resemblance, Wade Senior reveals, helped him raise his son.

During an insightful conversation at the Barber Shop Speaks, Wade’s father shared a few details about raising the basketball champ. He alluded that he would let his son take charge of his life and make his own decisions, but while being cautious and self-aware.

“He found out that we have so many similarities. We cross our legs the same way. He iron his clothes and he’s a famous dude and he iron his own clothes, washed his own clothes, wash dishes come on. Same thing as Daddy do,” Wade Senior said at the event, highlighting that children mimic a parent, and in this case, the father-son duo sharing a similar set of attributes, naturally obliged the young D-Wade to follow. 

However, speaking further, Wade Sr. also mentioned that breaking this pattern of treading as suited for your child, could be difficult to break, leaving him at crossroads. But it is essential, for they have to learn their ways. “But it takes time for you to sit back and let them do them because you can’t live their life. I couldn’t live his life for him. But I had to decide, do you want to go out there and make a mess out of his life? Or do you want to sit back and learn from this? So I chose to sit back and learn how to be a father.”

The 3x NBA champion himself on many occasions stated how he used to look up to his dad. Wade was inspired by his dad’s efforts and hard work. During his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, the father of four decided to pay homage to his dad. 

Dwyane Wade’s heartfelt speech to all the fathers 

The 13-time All-Star won millions of hearts when he stood on the stage and shared a few words on how his father’s life and contributions impacted his life. “I owe you a debt of gratitude that I’ll never be able to repay. Even though I hated being called ‘Little Dwyane,’ I admired you as a kid. I admire you now. We had the same exact dream and we carry the exact name: Dwyane Tyrone Wade,” Wade said. It was a speech to his dad and all the fathers.

In the latest episode titled ‘Dwyane Wade Sr. vs. Jr.’ of “The Wine Down,” Podcast, the two spoke about what Wade’s speech meant for them and for all fathers. During the podcast, the Miami Heat legend recalled crying while watching his own speech.

The retired NBA player was just 9 years old when his father took custody of him to provide a better upbringing. Since then, he watched his father work hard and sacrifice to maintain their family. That lesson and experience have remained with him and continue to inspire him to strive harder for his goals. And he makes sure to pass them on to his kids too.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.