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Back in the 2003-04 season, Dwyane Wade was a rookie playing for the Miami Heat, the team that selected him as the fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. As with most rookies, he didn’t have the basketball smarts that he now has after years of playing against the best.
Slam Online recently posted a throwback image of Wade on Twitter, a photo of the Heat superstar when he was still a rookie with the word “Iconic” and the lightning symbol accompanying it representing the superhero Flash. Shaquille O’Neal, Wade’s former teammate, gave him that nickname because of how fast Wade’s pace was back in the day.
Iconic. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/OK6y7V8rfH
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2018
Wade thought that his head was too small in proportion to his arms so he reposted the tweet with a comment that his head needed some catching up to do.
My head needed to catch up with my arms back then https://t.co/OJPorDyjl8
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 28, 2018
As funny as Wade’s comment to his younger self is, perhaps he’s also looking at the image with veteran eyes as well. While his body was strong enough to withstand the rigors of an 82-game regular season, the former University of Marquette player may have also thought that his knowledge of the game was sorely lacking.
Wade is playing in his 15th season and averaging the lowest points of his career at 11.2 points per contest. But if you ask Wade, though his body may not be as strong and durable as it used to be, his knowledge of the game far surpasses his physical abilities at this point in his career.
The best balance of Wade’s mind and body may have occurred in the 2008-09 season when he averaged 30.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. He finished third in the MVP voting to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant that year.
