The streets of Miami will never forget the contribution of Dwyane Wade. In fact, the Heat team built him a statue, the first one for the franchise. But recently, it’s been his son who has been teasing some collaboration during the race weekend. Yes, the Miami Grand Prix might be done this year, with Oscar Piastri taking the crown, however, Zaire Wade made sure to leave his own mark. A mark that earned a three-word reaction from his father.

Previously, the 23-year-old added a collaboration story with a 3.5 billion F1 powerhouse—Red Bull Racing. In one photo, he was standing next to their race car, and in another clip, he shared some cryptic words. “This [car] is my baby right here. You gotta work hard for this guy, man. A lot of blood, sweat, tears. Here we go…” Later, Dwyane Wade’s eldest also shared another story with tags Esquire, Formula 1, and Red Bull, and kept the conversation overlaid with “Tides” by Blacktop.

But now we know the conversation was about his prediction of the Miami Grand Prix and his fit check. The prediction was not about him choosing the winner, but what would happen if he strapped into an F1 car? The answer was also what anybody would say. “Last place.” Being an athlete, he knows that just rocking up for any other sport won’t end well. Apart from his honesty, interviewer Boman Martinez-Reid praised his off-white, ‘classy’ look.

The former G League star then explained his thought process behind the beige look. “It’s just an off-white, kind of clean, what I consider type classy look to go for my day-to-day.” That was not the only thing that caught Martinez-Reid’s attention. “We have to talk about the shoes. Tell me about the shoes.” That’s when Zaire revealed, “So shout out to Way of Wade, it’s the family brand right here. Yeah. So these are just, you know, a new addition.”

Even Dwyane Wade proudly shared “Good looking dude” in the comments. The Way of Wade is a sub-brand under Chinese sneaker company Li-Ning that Wade signed to in September 2012, as he left Jordan Brand.

Dwyane Wade’s connection to Li-Ning and his “unthinkable” decision

In September 2012, at the height of his playing career, Wade stunned fans by announcing he would depart Jordan Brand to sign a personal endorsement deal with Li-Ning—a company then grappling with a 15% stock decline in 2013. Before signing with the brand, D-Wade and the Miami Heat won the championship and were favorites once again to repeat that feat. This “unthinkable” decision came after a private meeting in Shanghai with Olympic gold-medalist and Li-Ning founder Li Ning, whose personal outreach convinced Wade of the brand’s global potential.

Last year, while promoting his 11th signature shoe with the brand, Way of Wade 11. Dwyane Wade shared his emotional response to the partnership. “12 years ago, I made a decision which was unthinkable…” The collaboration is more than a decade old now, which is why in 2018, Li-Ning provided another MJ moment to The Flash. Yet the early years were rocky. Li-Ning’s initial Way of Wade releases received mixed reviews—users reported traction issues on-court and uneven cushioning—and the brand’s parent company battled heavy losses.

By 2023, Li-Ning’s fortunes had reversed. Annual revenue climbed, and the Way of Wade line cemented its status in China and among global sneaker aficionados. At that time in 2018, he signed a lifetime contract and became the 3rd basketball player, alongside his idol Michael Jordan and his former teammate LeBron James, to sign lifetime apparel contracts. So, from being the face of the Jordan brand to now Chief Brand Officer of the Way of Wade, Dwyane Wade is redefining his legacy off the court.