Former Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade is officially a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023. Wade may have spent just a lone season with the Bulls, but he grew up in the Chicago area. Wade spoke about how his home town had a big impact on him growing up during the weekend’s festivities. As part of his official enshrinement speech, Wade brought it full circle by paying homage to Michael Jordan.
Wade explained how influential his father was in shaping his love of basketball. As he grew older, however, Jordan slowly became a central part of Wade’s understanding and love of the game.
“Before and after my games,” Wade explained. “I studied the player who had replaced my Pops as my favorite: Michael Jordan.”
During the weekend of the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame induction, Dwyane Wade talked about how Chicago shaped him. https://t.co/Kgbw25QBBl
— Bulls Wire (@Bulls_Wire) August 12, 2023
“The way he soared through the air felt like forever,” Wade added. “He created moves that made me immediately rush to my backyard to recreate them.”
Wade specifically mentioned Jordan’s legendary performance in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. As a nine-year-old kid living in Robbins, Illinois, Wade shared this moment had a tremendous impact on him.
“He captured my imagination and fueled my aspirations all at the same time.” Wade said.
You can check out Wade’s entire speech from the evening, courtesy of the NBA over on YouTube.
