The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: Dwyane Wade

Episode Date: August 8, 2023

Before Dwyane Wade joins the show, we discuss Jeff Teague's recent comments comparing Wade and James Harden, Wade vs. Paul Pierce, and how much our surroundings determine our success. Then, Demarcus Ware sings the National Anthem, Domonique and the Ravens "hymn," the Cha Cha Slide, and some more pretender or contender. Plus, HALL OF FAMER Dwyane Wade joins us to discuss fatherhood, growth, basketball, and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. This is the Dunluba Tarshou with the StugatSpotcast. So later in this hour, you will hear from Dwayne Wade. Hall of Famer. Yep. He's going to host the final segment. He's Famer. Yep. He's gonna host the final segment. He's gonna do something. He can't beat me.

He's gonna be our guest. Not as good as James Harden according to Jeff Teague. Oh, who asked Jeff Teague? I mean. The not as good things. So like obviously the way we had a better career and I would consider him a better player. But I think it's interesting because it like parallels

what Paul Pierce did where he kind of said he's a better player than Dwayne Wade. And then everyone points to Dwayne Wade's accomplishments. But then Paul Pierce is like, but what if you put me in those situations? And you know what, if you put Paul Pierce in all those situations, I don't think that it's worse. So like, is it the question is better,

who's had a better career or a better player? But it wasn't that situation. I'm really out and I got a good one. Yeah, T1,1. If you invented Facebook, you would have invented Facebook, is my opinion on all of this. Fair. Like, the, the,

Dwayne Wade is a convenient pin cushion for people who think that if they got to be a certain version of Robin, their career would have been a lot more decorated. And I'm also now wondering when it comes to the Hall of Fame stuff, who is Dwayne Wade's sidekick gonna be? Who will literally be introducing him at this thing?

Who's he picking? AI. On. Why? I figured it would be Riley. Maybe you don't as Haslam, someone like that. You do, it would have been a guy. I mean, artificial intelligence?

Yeah. That's not the answer you were looking for. Honestly, if you would have said to me a couple months ago, what's more likely at Dwayne Wade's Hall of Fame induction? AI, artificial intelligence, or Alan Iverson, I would have said AI, artificial because I don't even know him to have a connection with Alan Iverson. Well, he grew up with Alan Iverson's photo and poster on his bedroom. But I don't think any of us knew that until Wade told us when he's inducting him.

But, you know, that's basically his boyhood idol. i think it makes some sense but you're right who's your boyhood i'll uh... carlie's trim skin willy maize uh... yes but you know you're right though to stugas point you would have guessed pat riley he would have been the or has the book or david blatt david blatt that be great now it if you're talking about a contemporary, Carmelo Anthony's like best buds with Duane Wade.

Like he would have been another guy who could have introduced him. LeBron maybe. Chris Paul. Why? It's the only time they'll see the Hall fan. Can we do boyhood idols? I thought Greg was gonna say Moses He was right behind yes and Willie Mays right behind the say hey kid. I thought he's gonna say the golden calf

Kind of what do you think the arc was made out? That's a very good question. I'd like to say bamboo because bamboo is the toughest wood out there I don't know by the way. I don word. I don't know if that was a bad word. It's an underrated wood, you're right. And I happen to have a beautiful mini-buda in my backyard, Buddha bamboo. And it is such a hard wood, it's unbelievable. It's crazy. I mean, when a twig of bamboo, no thicker than your thumb, is almost impossible to snap when it's full grown. That's how hard it is.

Hmm. Okay. Your wheel has. I mean, I love bamboo. It's so exotic looking. It's beautiful. I'm shaping mine to be a tree. It's a natural bush that I'm shaping. I'm raising the canopy on it. I can now stand under my bamboo And it acts like a shade tree, which I'm very proud of According to Genesis chapter 6 verse 14 the ark was made of gofer wood I don't even know what species of tree that's from I don't know either figure Man go for a wood. I can't say that. How does your bamboo tree sound in the wind?

It's funny, you should say that because I had a little wind chime underneath it. And the wind chime was so loud that my back door neighbor gently complained about the noise. Really? What does a gentle complaint sound like? What does it sound like? You know, kiddingly mentioning it, you know, because it's right here. The Chimes again. Right near the bedroom. It was a wooden, in keeping with my

love of wood, it was a wooden chime. And so it made sort of a hollow sounding knocking kind of chime. It was beautiful. I loved it, but in difference to my back door neighbor, we retired. The the Dwayne Wade versus James Harden or Paul Pierce conversation is probably not the interesting, but the concept itself I find kind of interesting of the player going to Hall of Fame and we celebrate the players and we talk

about like Joe Montana is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but his career coincided with Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh and also pre salary cap and No disrespect to Joe Montana, but a lot of those I think he no one would consider him the most talented quarterback a lot of his success is He came up in a time where he was at Notre Dame. He got a lot of credit for that. And he came into the league with a reputation, with the fan base and into a situation where he had a coaching

advantage and a talent advantage to a degree because there was no player movement. And we remember him as the greatest of all time. He goes in Hall of Fame. He takes all the credit, he sticks his chest out, and we celebrate him. So I don't know if that matters to anybody, but I know the further we get away from it,

it doesn't matter. You just talk about the player, like the player did it all himself. Well, this is my favorite part about what it actually means to have a legacy. We argue about legacy all the time. A legacy most often gets boiled down to like two words. Yeah.

Like think about all of the great, the greatest human beings on our planet. By the time, so I think it's the community leader's tire and then there's long-form 5,000 word regtoti takeout. And every every year a couple words fall off. And then once you get far enough away, it's like Bill Russell, Levin Rings,

they're in. Chris, Chris. I'll also social justice in that kind of thing. Exactly. Kudos. I think the one like all time great they could say, well, what if I had what he had is, and I can't believe I've arrived here, Marino and Montana is Dan Marino. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because I'm certain Marino thinks put me on those Niners team with that, now we had a great coach in Shula and he had Clayton and he had Dupur but those teams were better. Yeah, the 49ers teams were stacked and that was the I mean the advent of free agency really changed the way that we had the way football teams were built and the way that we remember these teams and players and you can go back through any players career and look at those pivotal moments that they didn't have anything to do with. I think Jorin's a great example where you think about Paxton or Kerr hitting big shots

and we all look back and say, remember that time Jorin hit that shot over Russell? Where's like your legacy? And this is true of all of us in every walk of life. Your legacy is whether you're successful enough to have a legacy, but your impact on the world and your family and life is all like contingent on a lot of other things.

And I can go back through my life and retell the story where I choose events where I did something special, and that's why I've had success. I can go back and tell all the random lucky things that happened that put me successful. This is the through line through this entire show. We started off talking about how, you know, when we look back at our life, there is like a, remember when Obama got in trouble for saying you didn't build that? Yeah.

Yeah. That's what we're talking about. Is that a thought to be furious at? Because it dissolves your actual responsibility for your own greatness? Or is that something to acknowledge? Because in fact, that's the only true way to describe your achievements.

And that's why we have sports because we can throw it all out and say, ring. So what is he? Here's where Paul Pierce loses that argument, Duane Wade, without any of it. Want a title? On his own. No LeBron, no Pierce, no Garnet, no first Bosch, no he's Jack. I know, but he wanted on his own. I know, he wanted on his own. He wanted on his own. Okay, he's a jack. I know, but he wanted on his own. I know, he wanted on his own.

Okay, he's a jack was commanding double teams, but he won one without a super team. The Cavs title that LeBron won. I mean, yeah, there's an argument despite Kyrie. Are you okay? We can still hear you, Coffee. I pressed my button. Well, I was gonna pick up a,

he does have a button down. I can not believe he used it. Can we clip that sound? I love that so much. I was actually pressing up a button. I cannot believe he used it. Can we clip that sound? I love that so much. I was actually pressing my button. Right. Press it again and cough. Let's see.

Do you hear it? Yes. Because all the other mics on it, so. There's other mics in the room. What's he supposed to do? He can't. He can't. Thank you, Billy.

What is he, he didn't. All he could do. I don't like it too. I can't hear that again. I need that a While we go and fish for that sound can I ask a question? No, I probably shouldn't do this on air to do this I'm gonna ask for Billy. Yes. Yeah Pablo and I don't want to put you on the spot I went to www.pablo.show. There is nothing on there still. Now with that attitude.

Well, we're gonna sweat sleeping pop, you ladies. All right, fine. Tomorrow, Billy, for you, I'm gonna post something. Wow. Tomorrow. Really? This is the part that you're gonna post. I finally even pushed into posting something

on my own website. Part of the show. I hate the most. It's like www.pablo.show. Greg Cody does not get paid for this show. His payment is that he gets to promote his podcast. The Greg Cody show. It's a day on air featuring Greg Cody with, okay.

I mean, I'm doing a thing. But that's fine. Who was on this week? Not Zach Thomas. It's all I've done. Yeah, we did not have that Thomas on this we have we had Morgan from Australia and Sarah Spain talking about the World Cup from live from Australia. Good Gets and and I talked about Lebo.

You're not going to go to the contenders of pretenders music there. That's then you're not gonna do it Chacha real smooth Chrissy. Hi, I'm producer man I'm the music on of time man have been searching for the answer to life Marie- about that question Today we finally settled the debate and crown the human race is supreme demigod Also, we have nothing else to talk about. Got that right. E.D.'s Marino Montana. Tana. I hate Pablo Sin. I hate it.

It's ridiculous and like... It could be neater. It's not even that it's ugly and it's lazy. It's cheap. It's what I don't appreciate. It's like, I also like advertising. There's nothing there. There's no Pablo Sin. Not true. You got a Pablo show, but like I don't get a secret welcome email

If you sign up because zero dollars Pablo dot show. I just don't believe in it as a as a concept I don't know because force this in your face all the time make a good damn show like I started to show my show wasn't good Now it's great you are need to do more than hang up a sign. No, I want you to do none of it make a show Hey, oh forget make a good show. Make a show. Make a show. His show's much better. Dominique.

Dominique show has a much more clever name than yours. Mm-hmm. It is. That's true. I tried to name it Zero Fox Given, but ESPN was like, yeah, ever advertisers won't really love that. They're like, how about you just do a segment?

I was like, yeah, whatever. It's called in the Dominic Fox show. Proods. Zero Fox giving. Great title though, right? Yes it is. That's a two level title, right there. That's a two level title.

You got to get a name pun, baby. Might steal it. I got to come on the football show you have and do. Got the last football. I was gonna ask you to come on this week. And do a thank you for listening. So how many foxes do you give it? It's like one fox, two fox, zero fox.

What does the fox say? Nope. Hands on your knees, hands on your knees. Did you paint that problem because it's a dangerous game criticizing that because if your daughter did that thing, you feel like a jerk. If you're like, oh, she did the script. She did.

Did you really? Yeah. They're awful scribbles. These are inconsistent scribble pattern This is a new and unimproved Alevatar show with the stugats gamble on by draft Kings Don't let a tart. I actually thought you look kind of good stugats Thank you. I have the beard's grown out a little bit I got a little life in my face. I feel like little tan, Colorado, San Francisco, great time.

You get life on your face. You've got death on your face. I think you've got 40 to life on your face. Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. This is the Don Limita Show with this two cats. So we were talking about how the women's national team,

the USO MSNational team losing in the way that they did to get eliminated by Sweden was a story in which you grabbed on and you found something explosive. You found a reason to love them, to hate them, to defend their honor, to attack them, to say that they were not being attacked enough. And that level of complexity brings me around to a story I've been meaning to talk about with somebody.

And that's the DeMarisware National Anthem story. Because we watched a Marcus Ware sing the Star Spangled Banner before the Prophopal Hall of Fame game. And on the one hand there is a very real emotional background to that that I want to honor, right? He was singing this interview to Damarius Thomas' teammate. He said that this was because they would sing the anthem on the sidelines together before games. This was a tribute to his late friend. But then we actually watched him sing the anthem.

And I feel like we also can say that he had one of the worst anthems I've ever seen. You just made me feel like a jerk. Why? Because I've been ripping that performance all weekend and now apparently it was very meaningful to him. But both things ending out why he's saying it. I did, Chris. I did, Chris.

Both things though are true. It is true that these are chokers on behalf of America. It's true that they're the winningest players ever. It is true that this is a beautiful moment and honor of a friend and it is true that they're the winningest players ever. It is true that this is a beautiful moment in honor of a friend And it is true that it was horrendous. I Would say that when you're singing it on behalf of your friend and stepping outside your comfort zone to do something You're not terribly comfortable with

That there is no bad national anthem that he did what he had to do. He got through it It wasn't great, but he was doing it to honor a friend and therefore that's a great job at DeMarcus Ware. Also, teachers don't get paid enough. Amen. My mind went to when I saw this every year, somebody in the induction class should be mandated to sing the national anthem.

Every year, somebody that's getting inducted, who is it this year? Is it you, DeMarcus? Is it you, Zach Thomas? Somebody's got to sing the national anthem. Every year, somebody that's getting inducted, who is it this year? Is it you, DeMarcus? Is it you, Zach Thomas? Somebody's got to sing the national anthem. I just like the idea of that's part of the process. It's the tradition like any other. One of you has to sing the national anthem,

and they're all just like, none of us sing. Why would we do this? It's a tradition like no other. Yes, unlike any other. I think that there actually, you'd be surprised, is I think there'd be a rush. I think there's a lot of louis out there. And your Hall of Fame thing is kind of,

you've been away from the game for five years and you're reminded how you're just normal guy and no one cares about you. So I imagine that they're like, man, can I get a little bit more shine? Let me get a little bit more shine. You feel that 5,000-word story having compressed into words, and now you can get a little bit more shine. You feel that 5,000-word story having compressed two words,

and now you can get a couple bars back, a couple bars that aunt them back? I don't know. So obviously, the sentimental part of that, like resonated with me and it made me look back on like all the teammates I've had that died. And it's, I don't think I'm raring this. It's just an uncomfortable thing to not.

So I had Damien Nash with running back on the Broncos team that went home and had a charity basketball tournament that he put on for his brother and he actually died after the basketball tournament. We obviously had Darren Williams get shot in a nightclub when I was in college, Radio Rahim, one of my teammates got shot

at a barbershop, played in a preseason game where I think as Tom Asherian died in the locker room afterwards because of a heart condition, he played for the 49ers, and it just, That's a lot. Yeah. It feels like a lot.

It feels like a lot. You wanna sing the anthem or? No, see, I, there, hmm. I thought you were clearing your throat to start singing right now. I was, I was. I was. And was a joke. And it's not a fine.

Oh, you get fine for a bit. Okay, I'll take it. I'll play it. $10. I've got long break now. I broke my butt. I broke my butt. Yeah, there's, there's, there's, there's, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but is an interesting choice for anyone, given national anthem that sports.

I feel like if you're not a professional singer, you're not doing yourself any favors when you do the hand thing. You know what I mean? Where you're like trying to match the level on your hand or whatever. One thing around the year. Like you see that a lot of times, like on American Idol or the X-Factor,

or whatever, like the seeing competition, where it's like someone with not a great voice always has a hand thing where they, like the seeing competition, where it's like someone with not a great voice always has a hand thing where they're like trying to like, yeah, because they're signaling to you with note they're trying to hit. You're like, I'm not getting there, but I need you to imagine that I got to hear.

Just think about it, I'm here, but you gotta imagine, I'm up here, guys. But I don't think it helps you at all. If anything, you're like, oh boy. I was saying, so we have to do obviously hazing type stuff at all I mean hazing is aggressive at all the places that I've been and one of the things that I had to do was sing Uh in the NFL and in college in college. I think I did an arch heli song before it was not okay to do that and then in the NFL I did a shy song

I mean there's only one I'm not okay to do that. And then in the NFL, I did a shy song. I mean, there's only one. Mm, but I do. I do. Everyone knows that one, right? Yeah. It's great. The very first time.

Yeah. I saw your brown eyes, your lips and hair, low. And I said, high. It's great song. Who's your favorite person you bullied? Hey, everybody. Everful. Hey, look.

Okay. I pressed my button. Who's your favorite person you bullied? Everful, a boy. Okay. I pressed my button. Ha ha ha. You're that lady's. Oh, great. I think I just heard some teeth pop up. What a great question by Billy.

Oh, man, I did hear it. I was thinking of the middle of the zone. Right, let's stop. What was the question? I asked who the favorite person you ever bullied was. So I didn't bully anybody. I don't know. No, hazing, I know whatever. We just bullied me for my sign last segment.

But yeah, let's just keep that moving. You should rip it. My daughter's arbor. I dare you to rip it. I dare you to rip this daughter's arbor right in front of his face. She needs to be, it was confronting. With the reaction. Sometimes you learn art is an art. You know what I mean?

You scribble the rough. But so, Bully Joe. I mean, no one really bulleted me because I didn't, we had the hazing stuff at every stop and there was a couple of things that I think are interesting about this. So like my rookie year, we had rookie dinner and then there was always get stuff for the vet.

So get food and get whatever, go take care, they get the tape cutters for all that stuff. I complied with everything and I started week two, so like they stopped messing with you when you have bigger responsibilities. But during training camp, I complied, we had a player who did not comply, so I ended up having to pay a lot for him, so the rookie dinner was the most painful part where it's like, we don't even have no money yet. And we got to pay for a dinner for everybody and then they do like, asshole stuff,

like they buy bottles at the restaurant. Well, you know, bottles at a restaurant are more expensive to take home. It's like, bro, I can go get you this bottle from the store for $70, but we're gonna get it for $300, so like, that really sucked. And that was something that I made a point of the next year when I was like, responsible for.

It's like, we're not doing this. This is just a asshole thing, dude. We're not gonna make the rookies pay for us to eat. I now go get our stuff, whatever, bring chicken to the airport. All this sort of stuff is fine. But the thing that I really appreciate when I sign with the Ravens is they have,

we talk a lot about culture of organizations, and I think we all will accept that the Ravens have one of the best like sports cultures. And one of the things that they did that I liked and I'm gonna steal for my flag football coaching. They would do this thing called him and you can find out stories like this and other great stories on my podcast at the time.

I don't know how you were able to survive your rookie year with that $660,000 salary. I barely. So we have the... How dare they ask you to pay for a dinner? So the salary is paid out over 17 weeks. That's sign-in bonus though. Yeah, I had a sign-in bonus.

That 430. Yeah, that's nice. Paid out over several weeks, but you had to pay up front. Oh, that's nice. Those checks for 80K coming in, man, that's just- You made 9 million in 2010. Absolutely rich. They've been Googling you all show.

Yeah. So when I was with the Ravens, and the thing that I want to bring over is there's a culture of like everybody's kind of at the same level, and they do this thing where when you get there, they call it him. And so when you come into the locker room, or you come into the meeting room for the first time, and they're like, hey, we got a new guy, new coach,

a new player, a signed for agent, or a rookie, and someone that says, let's give him a hymn, and that was all right. So you stand up, you gotta tell him your name, and where you're from. And so I stood up, Dominique Foxurf, I went to Maryland, and if you're a free agent, free agent, how much you signed for?

Free agent, how much you signed for? And then someone, one of the leaders of the team will say, him, and then everyone else joins in him Him and then we move on and everybody does it and I think that my flag football team needs to do that I think it establishes that it doesn't matter who you are It doesn't matter where it came from. It does it 10. It doesn't matter How much you sign for it? It doesn't matter what you do before you are him just like the rest of us are him No, okay, no well of us are him. Him. No, okay.

No. Well, we need to first do it together. We gotta do this together if we're gonna do it, Chris. Who are we talking about? Well, we gotta get somebody to introduce themselves. Greg? Hey, I'm Greg Cody, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Him.

Him. Him. Him. Oh, thank you. I hope great Lewis doesn't get mad at me for stealing this. Please! And we bad E-clap your ass! Come on now!

Why are we doing this? I don't know. Why not? Do you not like a good line dance? DJ Casper, the man who created the Chacha slide passed away yesterday Oh, this is an opportunity to pay tribute to the one and only DJ Casper All right, okay, I knew that. He's no ghost. He knows it may top five ghosts for the ghost now he is a ghost Pretender or contender? Full circle!

Reaching USA. DJ Casper, pretender or contender? Oh, contender, I mean, electric slide. Move over, check. Shots, shots. Yep. A real smoothie. What's the other one?

Oh, a cupid shuffle? Yeah. Yeah. What's the best one? Chots, they're all private. Electric slide. I think you gotta go all private. They're all private. I think you gotta go Chats. I want to say, I want to say,

I want to say, today's the day you go Chats. Yeah. Chats, Chats, Contender. Indianapolis Colts. Pretender or Contender? Tough conference. Now, easy to vision though. It's a hard conference.

Young quarterback. Yes, new. Colts running back issue. Talk to bottom, that conference is tough. It's gonna be tough, I'm gonna go for Tinder. Easy division, though, ma'am. So you gots? I did it.

What do you mean? I already did it. I already did it. Ditto. Give them the chargers. The chargers, you gots, pretender or contender. They are contenders. Tough conference, good quarterback, quarterback needs

to show us a little something. Austin Echler has like 75 touchdowns over the last two years. And still only being paid like $2.5 million a year. But they are a good team, a talented team, wrong conference, but they are a contender. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Greg's Lobos, pretender or contender? Oh, no. What's up, man? Greg's Lobos, Pretender or Contender?

Yeah! Woo! Come on! Come on! Come on! No! Answer the question. This is trapped.

Um, February, um, Pretender or Contender? February, February, February, February. February, February, February right at what super bowl. You just say the fantasy Drafton I mean September. There you go. Yeah, pretend or contender. Oh contender of course You have a drafts right? Did you guys catch Dan opening the door sticking his head in and saying Honestly, I can trying to learn more in drafts, Bradity. Not necessarily that. You can still hear Dan screaming. My drafts prove that Lebatar show with the Stugats gamble on by draftkins.

Don Lebatard. Ravens good double up the call, and they are good against every team except the Steelers. I mean, so that's a 14 point win there for the Raven. Yeah, double up to touch that. Spugats. I think double up is a score. Like if the Coltav 10 and you double them up, you scored 20. I don't think double up. That's how you do it. I do it differently. Okay, but I don't think that double them up. Like you explain it to me as if I was my wife. I understand, but that's not technically doubling up. Like I think you use the phrase wrong or something happened all the love plus four Yes, exactly. Okay, that's what he meant of course You touched out you never cease to amaze me. He's amazing. He really is he's just he's breath-taking in his stupidity

This is the down lebatar show with this two cats What's up three? What up with it? What's up? What up three? What up with it? What's up? What up three? That's just me and me and three. We go way back. No, I like that.

No, you don't go back like that. Mike Lyon thinks he goes back like that. He goes back like that with very few weirdly. And this is impossible to remember. When he first came into the league, Duane Wade wasted his time doing a show with us every couple of weeks. And now, and now look at him. Now look at him. Not, not, but wait a minute, not, not just a Hall of Famer like this. Obviously, cool, excellent, wonderful, but a real leader of men in America about how to love and how to live.

Like what an adult this human being has become better at adulthood than at basketball somehow. So it really is an honor. Dwayne, I don't know what people say to compliment you the most, but it has really been an honor to watch you grow up and become a leader in America in every way. Man, Dan, don't make me cry out here. The whole of fame ain't even happening yet.

You can't make me cry yet. Man, I appreciate it. Growing up in front of you guys' eyes, I'm sure I've made a lot of mistakes, but hopefully I've done more good and bad. So thank you for all that. But can you tell people Dwayne because you're talking, you talk about leading with love

and you really have, it seems like you've learned how to love as an adult, led by your wife, led by your family, because you're talking, you talk about leading with love. And you really have, it seems like you've learned how to love as an adult, led by your wife, led by your family, led by believing in important things and trying to be a decent human being. Like it's really been an honor to watch how you lead away from the court because you learned so much your first few years here about things

that needed to be learned when a young man doesn't know anything about fame and money or any of that stuff. Yeah, I mean, be learned when a young man doesn't know anything about fame and money or any of that stuff. Yeah, I think when a world, and when you guys got a chance to get to know me a little bit of Miami, I was very quiet, very shy, I didn't say a lot, but I always sat back and I've always observed people,

I've always listened before I talk. And so, a lot of the things I speak on, a lot of things I say, it just really comes from my experience and the knowledge that I've had throughout this world. And so I give a lot of credit to my father. I had a great father. You know, a lot of people don't hear about my dad and my story, which we'll get to a little bit more in the Hall of Fame.

But my dad was really an amazing example for me growing up. You know, I watched a man be a man. You know, he took custody of me at nine years old when my mom was going through her troubles and a man, be a man. He took custody of me at nine years old when my mom was going through her troubles and really stepped in as a man. And so I get a lot of credit to my father for a lot of the ways that I think about how to be a leader and how to be a parent.

And not just that, but that you would marry a woman who would teach you how to raise a family, like how to be a dad of the highest order, giving the highest support and belief you can to a child no matter how difficult the circumstances. One thousand percent, Dan, like, you know, man, we planted an NBA, you know, playing with the Miami Heat, we went to the finals a lot of times, so it would mean nine months out of a year, we were, you know, preoccupied with our sport, And so who man's the house in a sense? And so I village has done an unbelievable job.

My wife has done an unbelievable job of stepping in and being a leader in the household when I cannot be there, being a voice in a household to continue to keep the things that we want as a family. We want to see, keep those things going. And so I give her a lot of credit for the exposure that she's given me through our life. My relationship has taken me all over the world, has put me in rooms and have conversations

with people I never thought I would. And I've been exposed to things that a lot of people have not. And so I'm thankful for these experiences I've had with her. And I give a lot of credit for sure. What have you learned from her and what did loving you and has loving you taught you about love? Well first, I've learned that I'm imperfect. But I've learned from her in so many different areas, even before I got on this course,

she would just educate me on or something in golf that we're thinking about doing. And she don't even know nothing about golf, but she's been up all night researching this opportunity for me. So just, I learned that what I've always seen growing up is when you have someone show up for you, when you have someone to put themselves not before you, but will allow you to go forward and support you in all the ways. I mean, the confidence that you have,

man, to blossom and to bloom is a second and none. And so I'm just thankful to be able to have a, you know, a wife that, you know, cares enough to want to see me grow. You know, a lot of people don't want to see you grow. They want to see you stay the same, because you actually want to see me grow. So I appreciate it. What do you need on the golf front? And do you want to play nine holes tomorrow? Oh, for the lady. I need help. I need a golf god. You got a golf god that I can like like give me right. I got you three. I got you. Here we go. You're going to catting form. You're going to be a part of the Hall of Fame festivities. You're going to weasel your way into his life and going golf at the Hall of Fame too, man. You know, so swing away. I'm going out there to swing away, man. Have a little fun. All right.

Can I come with you? What do you think? I mean, really? Can we not do this? No, we not do this. You can I come with you? What do you think? I mean, really? Can we not do this? Can we not do this? You can't come with me, bro. My dad will be with you. Dwayne, what is most likely to make you emotional during the speaking parts of your Hall of Fame speech? As you try to prepare for the next chapter of your life, Dwayne,

because you're not done living. It's just the basketball part that kind of goes you know, goes away here, but now you make it, you're going to turn it into ownership, you're going to turn it into like real power. You're going to take what you and LeBron built and learned in Miami and use it for yourselves in business. Like the next half of your life is going to be more interesting than the first half. I hope so. From your words, the man of stairs ears, I think, man, just you guys know me.

I've been very consistent with my messaging and it doesn't change now. You know, what's going to make me emotional is just seeing everybody that I love and that's been a part of this journey at different stages throughout my life, looking in their eyes, looking at faces, seeing their emotions, seeing their tears. I'm already having an out of body experience. A lot of people are like, are you excited? How do you feel? I feel out of body, I feel numb.

This is not something that my dad and I was on a call yesterday. My dad was like, I've always dreamed of my son going to NBA, but I never dreamed of greatness. This is not something that was something that we looked at as a tainer, but hopefully we made it to the NBA. But to be great, to have greatness, I'm a part of your family is something that, you know, even my dad is taking his head about. So, man, this moment for us, we're just trying to take it in, we're trying to enjoy it.

This does not happen every day to a kid like myself, you know, growing up in a community I did. So, this is for all of us. You were talking earlier about what you've learned. I've learned that Paul Pierce is a jackass and I'm wondering Have you ever wanted to just tell Paul to shut the Very subtle very subtle. Well, I don't I mean listen rain is expensive in in America I'm living in rent free now, so I let him keep I like living rent

keep, they don't keep no, I like living in rent free. It is, no, the parts of it is funny. You don't have to say it for anybody, but the idea that while you were playing that you would figure out, OK, I lost to Boston's Big Three and I just had like 50 points of game and I can't get past them. This is never going to happen to me again. Paul, I'm going to build a better version of that

and I'm going to win with that and I'm going to decimate the end of your career and run the Celtics and run the Celtics off the road. And part of it, we're gonna do with Ray as well and how great is that gonna be? Like that's forever. Paul will know that forever, that while he was at the Vegas Spa celebrating his one championship, you came for all his shit and took it. This is why I love, see, this is why I love you guys.

This is why I love the media, this part right here. It's documented. I don't need to say anything. Everything is documented. So I'll let you guys go ahead and talk about all that stuff. It sounds better coming from y'all than me. I'm done playing a game of basketball. I'm not comparing myself to someone who's not playing a game

or who's playing a game. That's not my challenge anymore, but I like how you said that then. My dear dude, I did make sure that it was when I came up the court, it was four dudes just looking at me in that series. Like, two-one dude, I just had the shooting. And so I was like, never again, you won't give me like this again. I mean, it's what you did. You got pissed off and you said, LeBron, and let's run the league for a while and Crystal come to and it'll be kind of great. Like, that's how it came together. Is it not everyone want to ask everyone asks like, we are the ones who did this.

Like, maybe we don't want just players who decided to, you know, come together. But organizations was trying to figure this out, right? And so it was our time and we had our time. And I got tired of that, LeBron got tired of that. I'm sure that's why we decided to get together. When you're coming up the court and you got four, five, six, dudes even the coach looking at you, talking all your moves and plays out, leaving guys open.

You don't want to do that as a great player. And so I went and got my Avengers. And I came into the league with my Avengers and everybody mad that I was able to play with different guys like just because I was able to play with Shaq and then they were playing with a bond. And I always talk about that man is like it's not easy to play with guys especially different styles from a guy from playing in a post to a guy with a ball

and perimeter. I got to learn how to play with all those guys and I did. And so I'm happy with my career and I don't know who's not happy with theirs but I'm sorry of you now but I'm happy with the career. And I don't know who's not happy with theirs, but I'm sorry of you now, but I'm happy with the way my way. But Dwayne, the historical context and the link to Miami and just the human parts of this, like obviously you're an icon locally, a generation of kids in South Florida only learned about winning because Dwayne Wade taught them 20 years. I say this is no disrespect to the Miami-Head organization that is stable and strong. You are undervalued while here, playing under a salary cap, and I understand how at the end that hurt you as a human being, even though you couldn't say so, because you wanted to

keep it all together for, you know, you love this fan base, and you're grateful for this fan base, but you could have made so much money with the economy of what you guys built before you realize that you could actually run the entire league. Yeah, yeah, we could have and I could have. And so, you know, that's gotta be what on the bridge for me. You know, I have to move on. I have to learn from and have to be better

in this next phase of my life from the things I learned and the things I learned later in my career. So I wish, if people said you have any regrets and players, people will allow you if they said they don't have any regrets in life. I think we all have moments that we wish we can get back. I wish I can get back that summer of 2016, not to come back, but to have different conversations

that we probably will all have a different conversation at that time, but we didn't. And everything went the way it went. Congratulations and good luck to, you know, I mean, I think, and everybody should be thankful for that because Jimmy Beller is in Miami. But outside of that, you know, it went how it went. And it's unfortunate, but I like my relationship

with the organization right now. You know, I like the fact that I get to just show up and be me and there's nothing expected of me from either side and unexpected from them. And I get to get back in my car and I get to go back to my life. And so I like it that way. And you know, and it will progress and grow the way in the E2. My love for Miami, you know, and my fan base is forever. And what we did and what we created is something that would be a part of that, the culture forever. I hope that they win more rings.

I hope that someone come and take my score and tie it down. I hope a lot of things happen, but you know, what we did would be forever because we were the first to do it. The next step in your evolution, Dwayne, I don't know as you go into the Hall of Fame, what is the single thing in your life, all of your life that you are proudest of. But finding yourself right now as an American icon, getting rocks and garbage thrown at him for supporting your daughter, you could not have imagined that at any point along the path that you would have to lead from there through America, through division of a complicated time where you'd be like,

can we just extend to my child parental love? And how about everyone else stay out of this because I want to love my child from here. And I'm going to learn and support and do whatever I need to do in order to be a leader here. You've been unbelievably strong here, Duane. You couldn't have expected the avalanche of shit that has come your way. No, man. No way. Nah man, no way. You know, I think, you know, when we're on the court, you know, you look that it's, it's a superhero, you know, but off the court,

I'm just like everyone else. I'm a son, I'm a husband, I'm a brother, I'm a father. And, you know, what I told myself when I had kids is, you know, no matter how imperfect I am, no matter how many mistakes I have, the mistakes I'm going to try not to have is with my kids. I know what it's like to have someone who believes in you. To have someone listen to you, you're looking at it. You're looking at what can happen when someone actually believes in their kid and my family

did to me. So that's all, man, I just wanna be the father that understands that you're not me and that you are you and let me get to know you. And in the midst of that, I'ma celebrate you. I'ma love you, no matter what you do, no matter who you are, because that's just what we do. That's just what I supposed to do. You didn't ask to be here.

This was my decision and my choice. And so, you know, my choice is to love regardless of the hate, regardless of the loud noise. I feel like love will come through, you know, even stronger and even louder. And so in the midst of that, what I do enjoy is I do appreciate the families that have approached my family and I that sends us flowers, that sends us letters that thank us for speaking out on something that may seem to be uncomfortable because of the hate we get. And so I like to focus on that, man, because there's so many lives that are being changed because of us deciding to share things that probably uncomfortable to my daughter's

aisle. Who wants to have their sexuality, their gender, their everything talked about at the age of 16, since the age of 12 years old, how do she, she still has to go to school and try to maintain a four point known, try to be a regular person in this world, a regular human being, and she's getting hate just thrown at her for trying to live her life. And so, we talk about it as a family. We live it as a family and never thought this would be it, but this is it. And so we're going to continue to keep loving,

we're going to continue to keep being who we are, we're going to continue to keep moving through the world and showing that love wins at the end of the day. Dwayne, that is hopeful, it is positive. You are these things. Can you explain to me on your way out? And I want to congratulate you again for being a Miami icon, an American sports icon representing the city always great for for 20 years, even through uncomfortable navigations of power and money. But can you explain to me as someone who's been preparing for this moment in some ways for I don't know 20 years, Trayvon Martin, when you say, I'm going to head into this fight,

believing in some things in America, and you spend the next 10 years dedicating yourself to these causes. Can you explain to me why 2023, your position of, I'm gonna choose to love, is controversial. That's the world that we live in, obviously. You know, and I can't wreck my to, trying to understand everyone's ideals.

What I do understand is that, you know, we're not all made up to be exactly the same. You know, we're not all made up to think the same. And so I like to speak to the individuals who think like me, who, who will have, who will be faced with similar, who will be faced with similar things that I've been faced with. Listen, man, my family and I, we lead in a lot of different ways. You know, we talked about Sarah, you see, we talked about, you know, another way to have your family, you know, we looking at COVID-19, everybody's loving COVID, but no one understood our process even get her into

this world and what we have to go through. But we shared it. We sat down and opened, we talked about these things. God has put us in this place. And so I'm not going to run from my seat. It may get hot sometime, but you know what? Just to see that, you know, everything's been written for me. And it's the seat that I'm putting in.

And so I can't overthink it then. You know, things happen that is out of our control. And so I'm a firm believer in control which you can control. And that's all I try to do. It's been an honor to watch your work everywhere, honestly. And I hope you are being showered with the kind of love you deserve for.

Growing is a man in a basketball player to really lead the league. Thanks for checking in with us. Let's do it a little longer next time, because there's some, I want to talk to you about some of the great things that you're about to do with your life. But listen, I appreciate you guys. I always appreciate getting the chance to talk to you guys and this platform, Dan, watching you grow to the place that you have and literally,

and the inspiration and aspiration that you give to people, man, doing it your way, doing it the Dan Levertart way has been incredible for me to sit back and watch. So I'm a big fan of all you guys, man. It's like a comedy show over there at times. Thank you. But the midst of that, you deal with real life things, man, just like I do. So Dan, I want to send my condolences to you and your family to your, from your brother, David. I know so many people that know you and so many people that know your family and all the work that y'all've done and all the love that y'all have given to everyone. So I just want to send some love back to you guys as you deal with this time and just say listen, we all out here, we all are shutting our love and we respect you so much.

Thank you for being one of the voices, one of the faces in the attitude of Florida. Appreciate you. An honor, sir. Thank you. Keep your head down, Dwayne. Okay. Head down. On the golf course, I will. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Just trying to get nine holes with them.

He said, it's a wide stand. It's get that right shoulder up. Slow on the back swing. Head down. Okay, I'll see you. Someone said you keep their head down all the time. They already know what they're talking about. It's the worst advice I can get you. I'll see you tomorrow on the range later three. I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three. I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three. I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three. I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three.

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I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three. I'll see you tomorrow on the range. Okay, later three.