It might seem like a dream, but there was a time when Dwayne Wade wasn't a member of the Miami Heat. After massive success with LeBron James and Chris Bosh from 2010-2014, Wade stayed on with the team for two years before a short stint with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded back to the Heat to finish out his career. The Dwayne Wade sojourn to the Bulls was interesting in itself, as there was success that the team underwent but it never seemed to fully click.

On the latest episode of his iHeartMedia podcast The Why with Dwyane Wade, Wade spoke about Heat Culture as opposed to other teams in the NBA. “Heat Culture” is predicated on a culture of winning and shrewd preparation. All 12 members of the active roster come together for a common goal and make sacrifices for the greater good of winning. Dwayne Wade was a part of that “culture', largely instilled by Pat Riley as coach and president of the Heat.

In the podcast, He eventually spoke about his time with the Bulls and the differences between how the Chicago and Miami organizations are run.

“That was one of my conversations with Fred when I got to Chicago, we were in training camp and I’m like Fred, they just messed the play up, we ain’t going to run it again? That wasn’t his mentality, that wasn’t his structure at the time. He was like [the] first unit got it right, then let’s go. And I’m like but Fred I got to play with these guys, I need them to understand all of the options, not just the handoff shot, how about the handoff no shot, let’s go to the second option, ain’t nothing there, let’s go to the third option. So once I got there, I realized it was an organization that was looking for culture and didn’t have any. So me as a player, yes I’m trying to bring in certain things, but at the same time, I’m enjoying not having the culture a little bit too.”

Wade spoke truthfully about Chicago's cultural shortcomings under Fred Hoiberg, but he holds a deep affection for his ex-coach. Fred Hoiberg currently serves as the head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Nebraska. Under his leadership, Nebraska made its debut in the NCAA Tournament this past season.

In 2019, Wade congratulated Hoiberg for his appointment as Nebraska's head coach.

However, the absence of team culture that Wade mentioned likely contributed to the Bulls' lack of success under Hoiberg. Hoiberg coached the Bulls for four seasons and was dismissed in his fourth season after just 24 games. Throughout his NBA coaching tenure, he achieved a record of 115 wins and 155 losses.  Undoubtedly, Hoiberg has evolved from his tenure with the Bulls and is now achieving significant success with Nebraska. Establishing a clear team culture is crucial for success, as demonstrated by organizations like the Heat and the Jordan-led Bulls teams of the 1990s.