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TNT Saved Dwyane Wade from Losing as Candace Parker Takes Credit for His First-Ever Championship

Published 03/27/2024, 11:56 PM EDT

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When Dwyane Wade originated an annual event alongside the All-Star Weekend festivities a decade ago, he didn’t think he’d be the sore loser of it until 2024. The 13x All-Star won the Stance Spades Tournament for the first time this year. While he’s still enjoying the sweet taste of victory, Candace Parker didn’t forget to remind him that she ‘let’ him win by sitting this one out. Since their last run-in at the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, the WNBA star and The Flash reunited for the first time on the latter’s podcast, The Why.

Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker have been great friends through their respective associations with the Chicago Sky and they’re the life of the party together. So this duo was sorely missed at the All-Star festivities. Wade started the podcast stating that he only saw her for three seconds at the spades game. “You were cutting your eyes at me as I was going off to win my first Spades Championship,” he described that encounter.

She wasted no time explaining why she was glaring at him. “That’s coz I didn’t enter, I was working that night and so I was going to be late and I didn’t want to hold the whole thing up.” Parker even went on to say that her non-participation served to Wade’s advantage. “This is my first year not entering the Spades Tournament… so you’re welcome. You won because I didn’t enter it.

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Candace Parker was part of TNT’s full slate for the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. She made her second appearance as a commentator at the All-Star Game after her 2023 debut. She covered the game alongside Indiana legend, Reggie Miller, and also Brian Anderson. The Stance Spades Tournament was in the same city but Parker couldn’t participate this year.

In the spirit of graciousness, D-Wade let that jab land and swiftly moved on with the show. He wouldn’t let the 3x WNBA champ dampen his victory though.

Dwyane Wade savors his victory

The Flash turned his association with the apparel brand, Stance into an All-Star tradition. He hosts the Stance Spades Tournament during the All-Star Weekend and plays against his celebrity friends. While he claims he’s been playing since he was a kid, everyone happened to be better at his own game.

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Taylor Rooks, a regular of this game and who usually wins, was also at the 2024 tournament after she was covering the All-Star Game with Charles Barkley and Draymond Green. Unfortunately, without Parker to keep Dwyane Wade in check, she lost to him this time.

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The 3x NBA champion is still over the moon about winning his tournament even though most of his friends have been teasing him for the winless eight years. He donned his Versace glasses and basked in the spotlight with the trophy. No one’s going to take that away from D-Wade.

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Written by:

Caroline John

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Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She holds a Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a reputed university. With 8 years of experience in content writing and after judiciously covering the life of Shaquille O’Neal, she even earned an exclusive interview with the CEO of Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise, Josh Halpern.
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Edited by:

Aakash Nair