The School of Greatness - Dwyane Wade On The Power of Visualization, Developing A Strong Work Ethic & Healing From Your Past EP 1192

Episode Date: November 22, 2021

Today’s guest is Dwyane Wade. He’s a NBA Champion, Olympic Gold medalist and thirteen-time NBA All-Star. He’s written a new photographic memoir that we dive into called DWYANE that details his life and career over the last few decades coming from a challenging upbringing to become one of the greatest athletes of all time. In this episode we discuss how Dwyane visualized his career as a kid, the biggest challenges he’s had to overcome in his life and career, the routines Dwyane’s developed in order to be successful, how to develop a strong mindset when you’re facing losses, why it’s so important to have coaches in your life and so much more!For more go to: www.lewishowes.com/1192Get Dwyane's new photographic memoir.Mel Robbins: The “Secret” Mindset Habit to Building Confidence and Overcoming Scarcity: https://link.chtbl.com/970-podDr. Joe Dispenza on Healing the Body and Transforming the Mind: https://link.chtbl.com/826-podMaster Your Mind and Defy the Odds with David Goggins: https://link.chtbl.com/715-pod  

This is episode number 1192 with Dwayne Wade. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

My friend, I am so pumped up because today's guest is Dwayne Wade, and he is an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and 13-time NBA all-star. He's written a new photographic memoir that we dive into called Dwayne that details his life and career over the last few decades, coming from a challenging upbringing to becoming one of the greatest athletes of all time. I left this interview feeling incredibly inspired, and I know you're going to love it as well. In this episode, we talk about how Dwayne visualized his career as a child and how he learned visualization. The biggest challenges he's had to overcome in his life and his career. The routines he's developed in order to become successful.

How to develop a strong mindset when you're facing losses. Why it's so important to have coaches in your life that are great mentors and so much more. This was so much fun and so entertaining and inspiring for me. So if you're enjoying this at any moment, make sure to spread the message to a friend, post it on social media, tag Dwayne as well as myself over on Instagram or anywhere that you're sharing this online. And if this is your first time here, please click the subscribe button right now over on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

And make sure to leave us a review at the end to let us know what you enjoyed the most about this episode. And today's fan of the week is from Kyle, who said, such incredible, enticing info that actually helps to give real takeaways that, if applied, can actually make a lasting change. So Kyle, thanks for being the fan of the week and leaving us a review over on Apple Podcasts. And in just a moment, I bring you the one and only Dwayne Wade. Welcome back, everyone, to the School of Greatness. Very excited about our guest, the iconic Dwayne Wade in the house.

Hey, hello, iconic. Good to see you, man. Oh, I like that. Great to see you. We have a lot of mutual friends. Yeah. And I was reaching out to them this whole week. Once we finally confirmed and made sure this was happening, I said,

is this guy the real deal? They're like, he's one of the greatest fathers, husbands, and human beings in the world. Didn't even mention your Olympic gold medal, NBA championships, one of the greatest basketball players of all time. They talked about your character and your heart, which I'm really excited to connect with you about. Thank you. Because you grew up in and not the nicest of conditions and neighborhood but what I what I read from your book

which I'm so excited to talk about is that you really grew up with a mindset of visualization dreaming about playing against the great yeah the greats and I'm curious how did that mindset of visualizing your future come about? Did someone teach you this? Yeah. Did you watch guys on TV talk about this? Like how did you learn this and then manifest it 10, 20 years later? Well, first give me the names of the people you reached out to so I can sit on their quarterly,

you know, quarterly for talking good about me. But I give the credit to my sister. And so I grew up in the inner city of Chicago. And 59th and Prairie is the street I grew up on. And it's a photo in my book. And it's one of my favorite photos of the complex that I grew up in. And my sister and I shared a room. And we shared a room.

At first, we didn't have a bed. Right? We room at first. We didn't have a bed, right? We shared a room. We'd have a bed. We're sleeping. We're sitting on the floor. Oh, wow. Yeah, we sleep on floor I mean, we're like, you know, I People see me now and they be like you wasn't you was not poor. No, we were poor Wow, you know Like this was real. So first we were sleeping on the floor and eventually I remember we got a bed We had one bed to share and I would go to bed at night crying because I was hungry. You know, that stomach, that hunger is different.

Different. And, you know, lucky enough to eat once, you know, sometimes twice a day or whatever the case may be. But sometimes it may not happen. And so I would cry all the time. And my sister would always tell me every night to pray. She'd be like, pray, ask God for what you want. And so I would do that. And so she would always tell me before it was time to go to bed

because my stomach was hurting so bad. She'd be like, listen, go into your dreams. Go into your visions. Picture the world that you want. And so every night, that was the thing I was excited about. I was excited to go to sleep so I can go into this imaginary world of like, okay. I'm warm. I'm full.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, like everything you think about. You think about food. But that's where my visualization came from. So as a kid, I would always visualize what I wanted for my family, what I wanted for my mother, what one day I wanted for my dad, what I wanted for myself, like so forth and so as a kid i would always visualize what i wanted from my family what i wanted from my mother well one day i wanted for my dad what i wanted for myself like so far and so on right and i just carried that vision everywhere i went because that was that was the thing that made me feel the best and so i never lost it because you know that that feel of like oh let me go into my

my own world and in my own world everything was perfect And so I would try to go into that world all the time. How old were you when your sister taught you this? I had to be probably like five, yeah. Yeah, I was young. How long were you guys in the same room till? Until she dropped me off over my dad's, like, you got to go. Wow. So until I was, my sister probably dropped me off around eight years old I eventually moved my dad when I was like nine and like you know he

took custody of me but I guess around I don't know between six and eight okay we were my sister eventually was like you got you need a man you need your dad right you need something more than I can give because my sister was kind of raising me while my mom was was going through her journey in life. She was going through her addictions, through life in drugs and in and out of prison and things of that nature. So my sister kind of, she was responsible for me

just by being the next sister closer to age. And she eventually told my dad like, "'Tap, you in." You get your in. But we did, we did share a room together. But in that room was a lot of great things happened, too. You know, I don't want to make it seem like. Yeah, you're having fun.

You're playing games. Yeah, like I learned how to read in that room. You know, you do all these things in that room. And so at the time, you don't know how bad it is. I can talk about it now and it's like, what? Wow. But at the time, this is just life. Right.

You're just going from one day to the next. And so, but, you know, she was kind of my guardian angel? Wow. But at the time, this is just life, right? This is you just going from one day to the next. And so but, you know, she was kind of my guardian angel. Wow. My brother, I've talked about this on my show. My brother, when I was eight, went to prison for four years for selling drugs to an undercover cop in Ohio where I was growing up. And it played a toll on the family. It was like a big weight. You know know we would go to the prison every weekend pretty much and spend time in the visiting room yeah what was that like for you with a parent coming kind of in and out of jail at that time so was it kind of normal or was it impacting you in a big way or what yeah it was i didn't it was normal really let me start off that it was normal like i was that kid that anytime i seen the police, you know, I would run and hide.

Because I've watched them coming handcuffed and take away. In the house? In the house. I've watched them knock down our door. Boom, boom. You know, like movies when it's boom, boom, boom. It's the police. Like, that was a reoccurring thing.

Wow. You know, in my life, you know, growing up. So I was always afraid. I was always scared of police. And I remember when my mom went to prison and my dad decided to take me to prison to talk to my mother because I really wanted to see her. I was missing her. This was when I had my dad just got custody of me, I was like nine years old. Wow. And I remember going in, and just like the movies, I'm seeing, I'm hearing all the noises, and the buzzers, this, that, you see all the people. Security going through everything.

The security, you see the thick glass, and they on the other side. And so I sit on this glass, and I'm sitting here, and I'm waiting on my mother, just like the movies. My mom come out, she's angry, I could see the look on her face, she's mad. I later found out that I'm waiting on my mother. It's like the movies. My mom come out. She's angry. I can see the look on her face. She's mad. I later found out that she did not want my dad to bring me to prison.

But I insisted on seeing my mother. So my dad took me. She didn't want you to see her in that environment. She didn't want me to see her in that environment. But I just wanted to see my mom. I'm a kid. Of course. So I go in there and talk to my mom through a phone.

And it just tore me apart. Like you can't grab, you can't touch, you can't do anything. And and then at the end, you hang up the phone, you just leave. Right. And I just remember crying so bad when I left and I told my dad, I never want to go back. Please don't ever take me back in there. But like seeing my mother on the other side of that glass is an image that I would never get out of my head. Never. And that was, I was nine years old, 30 years ago. Wow.

30 years ago, 39. And I could never get that image out of my head. You only went one time? One time. It hurt too bad. Yeah. To see someone you love, your mother. Yeah, it's tough.

Not understanding everything, don't understand why she's on the other side of that glass. You know, it hurt to the point where I didn't want to go back, but just that fuel, like I used so much fuel through my life and that was one of the fuels I was like, okay, I got to get my mom out of this. Right. You know? What would you say was the biggest challenge that you had to heal from your childhood, from growing up?

The biggest pain or the obstacle that you found stayed with you for the longest? Maybe you're still facing some of it that you've had to learn how to heal to let go of. That's a great question because I feel like I'm still, you know how it goes. Like you go through all that and then you just go through your life. And at some point, some the things uh will come back and so for me like getting into therapy yeah um is something that was important once i retired because my outlet became basketball so i put everything into the sport if you don't have it anymore right what do you do what do you do with that energy those thoughts that yeah yeah and you know what you do you're going to put it

off on the people that's closest to you the ones ones that love you, the ones that's at home, the ones you see every day. You're going to put that rage and anger. And so I think the thing what I try to do is I try to go and I try to rebuild my relationships with my parents. Really? Yeah. Because like one thing I've never done is I've never like I don't judge them for their journey. never done is I've never like I don't judge them for their journey mm-hmm you know like especially as a person who's trying to live like I got to figure it out every day every day it's a choice to do this a choice not to do this and you know you can make the wrong step in the wrong turn and my parents did they took the wrong step and it took him down a long track that was you know that

affected myself and my sister and our family but I don't judge them for it because you know they didn't try that was was not their goal, right? It's just, it's life. Um, and so for me, it was about getting to know my parents and rebuilding relationship, asking questions. Maybe they came out a little harsh sometime. Maybe they even came out at the wrong time. Um, but I just really needed to like, to, to, to get to know and understand why. Understand as an adult why we do things. Understand that, okay, they had addictions. Okay, I have an addiction.

Right now my addiction is basketball, but I'm addicted to something. So I have an addictive personality. They had an addictive personality. This is why. Just kind of understand. And that was my biggest thing to help me start getting over the hump was really communicating with my parents. Wow. And how has that process been like?

Have you been able to heal certain things? Yeah. I mean, I feel like I have. Maybe you can ask my wife. She would know a little bit more because my wife has told me that I need to heal. And I'm like, no, I'm good. But really, you know, she knows. And so I remember when I was 30 years old me and my dad relationship was kind

of rocky you know my dad took custody at nine um that man mancho thing started building as i got older in high school and i started feeling like i was a man i moved out at 16 years old i moved with zaire and zaya's mom and and i lived with her i lived with my girlfriend at the time um and me and my dad relationship was just kind of rocky in a sense. I loved him, but we couldn't see eye to eye. And I was too blinded by, you know, my, I don't know, not my hate, but I had this thing where I, like, I guess in a sense it's like weakness, right? It's like you feel, I felt like my dad was weak. Emotionally, mentally, physically?

I don't know what it was. It was just more so of like, I'm taking care of the family now. Oh, wow. I'm stepping up. You're not doing your role. I'm going to do it. And I felt the way about that. And I missed all, forget the rest of the things he did for me.

You know what I'm saying? And to help get me to this point, I was just so so into like i guess i felt the way that i had to and all the responsibilities that you know 19 20 whatever it started becoming my responsibilities and i kind of i was angry at my dad yeah for it you know right um so i remember at 30 years old i decided to you know what i think it's time my wife kept telling me she's, your life is not going to be complete. You have missing pieces. It's a missing hole in your life, and your dad is one of them. You need to fix it.

And I was like, all right. And I decided to go to lunch with my father. At 30? Just at 30. Just go to lunch. Four-hour lunch. And at that point in life, I was older. My kids was getting older.

I started to realize that my dad ain't that crazy as I thought he was. Right, right. You're raising kids now. I'm raising kids now. And at this point, you'd already won an Olympic gold medal. You already won a couple NBA championships. Yeah, I was at least one in. I know maybe two.

Maybe two in. Yeah. I think I was two in at that time. And I've accomplished so much in sport and to the world but You know I still was missing something and it was a lot was my mom and my dad and so I had to fix it with my Dad and like to this point to this day like, you know nine years later took it's only been nine years

But in my dad relationship has just been developing and growing and like I feel more of a whole as a person Just from that that that conversation and communication that look each other in the eye that say that apologize to say I'm sorry for this but also to you understand that my dad was thinking a certain way he thought that I felt this way when I didn't I thought he felt this way and if you don't communicate you just let it go and it fester and it becomes something where do you think you'd be now if you didn't start having those conversations at 30? What do you think, what would be happening to you inside? I'd be searching for something.

Really? You know, I'd be trying to grab on to something, to someone, something. Because, you know, some relationships in your life are just that important. You know, if they are that important. And the relationship, you know, with my parents is just that important to me. And if I didn't have that, that means that I would have to grab some graft for something else to try to fill that void.

Yeah. Right? And that's what kids do. That's what young women do when their father's not in their home and they don't have a male presence. You know, they go look for that male presence. And a lot of times they get into relationships with men that, you know what I mean, that becomes toxic in certain ways, you know they go look for that male presence and a lot of times they get into relationships with men that you know i mean that becomes toxic in certain ways you know because of

what they're missing right and what they're looking for whatever the case may be right so i would have been looking for it and i have at times until i was able to patch that hole up you know and so now i'm not looking for that i'm not looking like me and my dad have a i can't say we have a father-son relationship. I feel like we have more of a friendship than we have a father-son. I don't go to my dad and say, hey, dad, I got these financial problems and I need help. I don't have that because I was the first one in the family to go through the financial problems. And I sit down with my dad and say, hey, you know. Because they take care of your finances.

Yeah, it's different. I'm in a different role. And so that role brought on, you know, the challenges in our relationship. It's because I've been in that seat for almost 20 years now. Who was the most influential adult figure in your life growing up besides your sister? And what was the biggest lesson that that adult figure taught you? This is sad. Michael Jordan. Really? Adult. Yeah. Did you have a relationship with him? No. Wow. This is sad Michael Jordan really adult yeah

It's like the relationship with him. No Wow Okay, just just from a role model. Yeah, someone to look up to someone to aspire to be You know it was it was such an important time That's how you hear how important sports or moments or things that people do are to you. And that's why I'm able to write books. So that's why me and my family speak out on issues. We share private things. Because I was that kid that Michael Jordan didn't understand the impact he made on me just by being himself or just by speaking out on certain things or facing the media at the bag game or whatever it was. I looked at it all. And so in my life, all the adults was off in their world and their madness

doing their thing. I didn't have one. I was like, man, I want to be like Uncle Richard when I grow up. You're right, right. I want to be like Uncle Mike. Right. I want to be like. And so, yeah, I gravitated to a person that I never that I didn't know that I never knew I would meet but I just wanted to be like that guy so we do we do like consuming all we just trying to watch everything he said on TV at that time because there's no social media obviously we were growing up or were you buying all the magazines and seeing what he was reading did you have posters on the wall like how were you connecting to his message when it was

wasn't as available as it is today for people? Yeah. I would watch Come and Fly with me a million times over and over. I'd watch how he did interviews. You watch how he walked. Everything. The swag. Everything.

You watch it all. For me, I didn't see anybody that was in my life that I was like, oh, I want to be like that person. So I had to go find someone. Once again, I had to think I had to go into this vision. I had to think outside of the box, in a sense. And outside of the box is outside of my community and my family. And I found Michael Jordan. I grew up in Chicago.

WGN News. Shout out to WGN News. I was able to tune in and watch the game. We got the interviews. I was like, after the game, me and my brothers are sitting watching TV waiting for Jordan to interview. You know what I mean? It's like 20 minutes later. He just became that much of a figure in our lives.

Yeah, it's crazy. What was it like when you first met him? Surreal. So the first time I met him, I get drafted. I get drafted to the Heat. You're 20, 21? 21 years old. Yeah.

21 years old. Fifth pick, is that right? Fifth pick. I mean, I got the rookie card right here. Fifth pick, there we go. Number five pick. It was a couple months before that. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah. So I get drafted, and I do a draft party in Chicago, right? Like, you know, I'm from Chicago. I do a big draft party. Don't tell me he shows up to that. No, he does not. I'm in the party, bro Don't tell me he shows up to that. So. No, he does not. I'm in the party, bro. No, he does not.

The party is crazy. My cousin come and tap me on the shoulder in the middle of the party. I'm dancing. I'm having a great time. He's like, yo, Michael Jordan's outside. They won't let him in. And I'm like, bro, stop playing with me. They won't let him in?

He said they won't let him in. So immediately I'm like, bro, stop playing. Why would you do that? This is my moment. Why would you play with me? And he's like, I seen the look on his face. He's like, Michael Jordan is outside. They won't let him in.

We take off. So we run it through the club. We get to the front. I'm like, what the? He's there. I say something to the front. He's outside. Oh, my gosh.

So we go outside. Now, this is epic. I run outside. And Michael Jordan is sitting out there on a motorcycle. Oh, my gosh I'll say 50 dudes It probably was 20, but it just looked like 50 dude warm all on motorcycles Mike sitting there and I'm like No way to close in close like every step of my is this Jordan is this Jordan and then I got up close and he Was just like hey, man. I just want to come by

Congratulations, you know being drafted like just that whole thing and I'm like Mike come in. Oh, my God. Show you some love. You know, being drafted. Like, just that whole thing. And I'm like, Mike, come in. He's like, no, I'm good. I just really came by to show you some love. And that was the first time I met my idol. He came to my draft party to show me some love. And he was on a motorcycle with motorcycle gear.

That's sick, man. It looked so dope. Was this after you got selected or before? This was after. So you got drafted. It was like that night afterwards. No, it was like maybe like a week or so later okay like after i got drafted i flew to miami then i went back to chicago and i was like party dude and mike showed up you never he never came to a

game or saw anything like like later yeah no i mean in high school college in the chicago area he never came out i wasn't i wasn't a big time player like that really from the standpoint of people coming to watch me play. Nobody come to Richards High School in Oakland, Illinois to watch me play. I wasn't that good, I guess, right? So,

most of the world didn't hear about me until triple-double against Kentucky Final Four. Wow. Yeah. That's sick.

So he came out. 21. 21. When was the first time you had like a real, like proper conversation? Do you remember that? Proper conversation?

More than just like a, hey, thank you so much. Let's see. And what was the best piece of advice that he told you? So the best piece. So I eventually, as I'm trying to think about it, I eventually end up being with the Jordan brand. That's pretty sick. Right? That's pretty sick.

Jordan ended up like personally. Oh, it was crazy. It was like, what? Like this happening. And it's crazy because you think it got to be something that's so like philosophical. Like he got to tell me something. It was something so simple. He just told me to go get it.

It was an all-star weekend, Dallas. And we were doing an all-star party. And my whole family was there. Jordan was there. My family has never, like, they never met Jordan. And my brothers and everybody's there, and we're doing a Jordan party. And Jordan is amazing with everybody. We're all family.

We're all with the Jordan family. It is what it is. And we're talking, and he put his arm around me, and he said, tomorrow, go get it. That's all he said. And I'm like, what is he talking about? What does this mean? He was like, yo, I want you to go get it.

And so when I got there, he had these sneakers for me. It was the first time I was wearing them. It was these silver Jordans that was like the 2010 Jordans. I was supposed to be the one who was leading the charge of the brand. I had just signed with them. And when I got in the locker room and I got on the court, I realized what it meant. He meant go get that MVP.

He meant go for it. Go create your history. Wow. Yeah, because we were in Dallas. It was about 110,000 people watching the game. We played the game at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Wow. And he was like, go get it. And it's crazy, right?

It's like, go get it. But for crazy right that's like go get it yeah but for me that's all was in my mind while i was playing the game go get it wow and i went and got it gosh that's interesting yeah so it wasn't like go have a fun time and like just enjoy the moment and have fun it was like go be the best and dominate. Yeah, go do something special. Don't just be here. Don't be happy to be here. And you're wearing my shoes.

You better go do something. Yeah, you represent the brand. Yeah. I remember when George told me when I first started with the brand, he said, hey, man, I don't want to see these shoes on the floor. I want to see these shoes in the air. Ooh. Because I will always fall. Right. I want to see these shoes in the air. Ooh. Because I will always fall. Right.

I always fail. And so today, actually, it's all over social right now. It's the day that I dunked on Andy Veragiao. It's one of the best dunks. It's one of the best dunks of my career, but some say top 10 NBA history, right? That was Jordan's first game. The guy with the long hair? Mm-hmm.

With Cleveland. Oh, yeah. I'm from Ohio, so. Yeah, Andy. Yeah, yeah. Shout out to Andy. Jordan, first game to come and see me play in person as a Jordan athlete oh as a Jordan athlete as a Jordan athlete he was at he was in he was there before when I was in Chicago playing as a rookie um and that's

a whole nother oh that is a story I got that story but anyway um that's so in my mind I was all these things I was like yo he gotta see these shoes in the air and so i'm coming down the court and i see andy and he backing up and i'm like i'm going for it go get it i'm going for it i'm going to get it going to get it and as you if you if you see the highlight if you guys play the highlight i dunk it right boom and i'm about to go to the bench where my team and like go that way and talk some. But I was like, nope, Jordan's over here. No way. Stepped over Andy and went that way.

And I'm like, that's how you do it. But I'm really over there like, I wanted Jordan to see me, right, you know. I wanted him to be proud of me. And so then they showed Jordan's reaction on the video. He's like, yeah, good looking shoes. Good looking shoes. You see the shoes, though. Yeah, it's a good representation of the brand.

Yeah. Wow, that's amazing. Were you going to say another story? Oh, yeah. So first game back in Chicago, my rookie year. And I'm coming back home. The night before, we played the Washington Wizards, right? And so leading up to it, I had like, I forget the number,

but I was scoring like 20 points every game. So I was balling. Yeah. And I'm like, I'm tuning up to go to Chicago. So I'm feeling good. Get ready. long story short I go up Jared Jeffries my guy he like he can say you undercut me but like you kind of went under my hit my leg a little bit and I fell and I came down and I had to brace myself and I ended up later I broke breaking my wrists in 11 places oh I ain't a breaking 11 bones in my in my wrist or whatever case would be right

but then that night we leave after the game, I'm hurting and everything, and we go to Chicago because we play in the Bulls the next night. And the guys on my team, the best, was like, yo, we're about to go out, go to this little bar area, come with us. I'm like, cool. So I go, I run into Michael Jordan. Now this is the first time I'm actually in his presence and it's not on a motorcycle. This is the next time. Okay. So you have like five to ten minutes with him I have yeah I have about two to three okay which feels like two to three hours yeah you're like every moment yeah every moment I had like two to three and he's and so mind you I'm not playing the next day in my mind because my first

time back I'm hurt I ain't trying to come out here embarrass myself I'm gonna I'm gonna wait till we come back and And so Jordan was talking. He's like, man, you know, you've been playing so good. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. I'll be there. Oh, shoot. You can't bag out now. Now I've got to play.

Now I've got to play. How'd you do? Not good. I had a nice dump. But I didn't. That was not good, yeah. You had a broken wrist. After that game, I was like, yo, I need to see what's wrong with my wrist.

And I was in a cast for a few months. That's crazy. But the fact is just the power of an idol, just the power of an influence. You know what I'm saying? Like it goes a long way. And that's why I tell those stories, because Michael didn't know that this was that all these moments whether he was talking to me whether he was playing the game of basketball

he didn't know the influence that he was having on a little kid you know growing up in the inner city of Robbins, Illinois and Chicago and his influence

was so impactful on me like even to the point when I was 21 years old in the NBA I played a game that I should not have played because Michael was like oh I'll be there

I can't wait to see you oh man broken wrist and everything that's crazy man, man. Yeah, I don't think I ever told him about that. That's crazy. Like publicly, yeah. You've mentioned your wife a couple of times and how she's really, it sounds like, been an incredible stand for your growth personally, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. I'm curious. I've asked a few people this who are in incredible marriages and have great wives. I'm curious.

What is the thing you love about your wife the most and why? Hmm. Oh, I've got to see this, huh? Mm-hmm. I mean, I've got to give a real good answer. What do I love about my wife the most and why? So, my wife asked me this the other day.

Really? This is what's funny about it. She's like, what do you love about me the most? She DM'd me. She DM'd you on Instagram? Yeah. She said, what do you love about me the most? Wow.

Yeah. See, this is why I took a deep breath because I'm trying to remember what I wrote her. Yeah. But. What's on your heart right now? On my heart right now, what I love about my wife the most is it's kind of selfish. Because I love the way she catches me when I'm about to fall. I love the way she picks jumped in the lives of my kids and became a big influence on their lives, which is not easy being a step-parent, being a bonus mom, whatever it is.

And she's a huge influence in their lives. So selfishly, I love the way my wife loves me. How does she love you? I mean, I think wholeheartedly with everything she has. I mean, I'm going through life trying to find out what love is myself. Like, this is all new. And, you know, the one thing about my wife and our relationship, and, you know, we share a lot. We have a lot of private moments that people don't get to see and don't know and we don't share.

But as I told her, I said, you know what? If we was not married, we will be best friends. We would be best friends. We would be. We would be because we're like best friends now. Like we're like best friends. Like, you know, it's like one of my favorite people, you know. And even though we're married and you want your space, you need this and everybody needs this. I feel like we work together as partners in life. You know, even when I walk in a room and she, I know she want to be like, it's quiet and she ain't talking and I may say two things and she ain't said nothing. I'm like, okay, she needed time.

I'm out. I'll be back. Go hit some balls. Go shoot some hoops or? Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? It's just really knowing each other. So I think like, just like, you know, your best friend, you know, everything you ask

a man about their best friend, you know, everything about them. Ask a woman about their best friend, know everything about them. Ask somebody about their partner. They'll be like, ah, what's her favorite color? You know what I'm saying? So if it's your best friend, you get a chance to know a lot of things about them. And so, yeah. There's an amazing photo in your book

with you and LeBron and your wife on the... Oh, the Laker game. The last game. And she's like screaming at LeBron or you or whatever. like screaming at at you playing defense i think against lebron and you said in one of the captions like one of the things i love about her is how competitive she actually is in life and she's sweet as all can be but she's super competitive which was amazing to watch that photo it's incredible she's like wants to kill

someone and it's like it's like rip someone's head off or something it's amazing to watch. You saw it in that photo. It's incredible. She wants to kill someone in that scene. It's like, rip someone's head off or something. It's amazing, man. I love it. I'm curious, what is your most proud moment of all the incredible moments you've had? Oh. Maybe it is winning a championship or winning the gold medal or dunking over someone or playing against Kobe or whatever it is. Maybe it is something big or maybe

it's something that no one even knows about behind the scenes I'm just curious of your entire career most proud moment for you of my career not of my life of my career okay that's different yes getting drafted because that was the moment that showed me I can do anything. Like, I tell my son this all the time. I worked hard just to get drafted. Because once I got drafted, then it really started. But... Because a lot of guys get drafted in the first round and don't make it. Yeah.

I mean, you know, and I know people are like, get drafted. He's done this. He's done that. He's done that. All those things are amazing. Like, you know, the championships, the individual accolades, all that's amazing. But as a young kid from the inner city of Chicago that grew up a little bit like I told you, I mean, it's so much more about how I told you, that didn't know at the age of 19 what was next.

I had a kid at 19, you know, 20 years old, that did not get his ACT scores and was not able to play. Like, all these things that kept trying to knock me down knock me down knock me down to be able to pick myself up to be able to allow the people around me to help pick me up and to get me to that point where David Stern comes out and say with the fifth pick the Miami Heat select the one way that moment for me will forever go down in history is I can do anything mmm we can do anything because I don't supposed to be here. I've watched him try to, nope, get back here. He's going to test.

Can you pass this test? Nope. You ain't going to make it. Like, it's all these things. You're going to have a kid now. You really ain't going to make it. It's all these things. I'm like, you will not stop me.

I will keep going. And I did. And so that's the moment for me in my career out of all the things. That moment, man, I put my head down. I remember I did that. I had my son on my lap, you that moment man I put my head down I remember I did that I had my son on my on my lap you know while I was in the draft room and I was just looking around like man I know all these guys here are I know their names I know I know that some of their stories I don't know all of them I know some of these stories but I know my story and I know I

shouldn't be here wow and to be there and to get picked fifth and to go back there, you know, to grab that hat, to go on the back. I remember walking in the back and LeBron was back there because he was the first pick. Mello was back there because he was the third pick. Chris Bosh was back there because he was the fourth pick.

And we all, you know, we were young, we know each other. We like, yo! We made it, yeah.

Just in the back, just all of us, four of the top five picks in the draft, we were all cordial. You know what I mean? Mello and Brian had a relationship. All of us had a relationship. Me and Chris, we all were cordial. And just to be young guys back there.

That's crazy. Like, yo, Mello. Yo, Brian. We made it. We made it. They knew they were going top. Right, right. I didn't know.

You didn't know you were going top five? No. Really? I had no idea. What did you think? Maybe, hopefully, in the first round, second round? No. Really? I had no idea. What did you think maybe? Hopefully in the first round, second round? No, no. I knew first round.

Like when I got the draft, it was like, okay, D-Wade can go anywhere from the fourth pick to like 20. Oh, wow. So it was a wide range. And in my mind, I'm like, I'm going seven. I'm going seven to the Chicago Bulls. Like I worked the story, the dream every day. Oh, the dream, the Jordan. Yeah.

I worked out for them twice, all the media, all the coverage. I'm like, I'm going to the Bulls. And the Heat picked me at five, so I didn't get a chance to go to the Bulls. Wow. You did play with them for a season. Yeah, I got a year. Yeah, yeah, that's cool. I lived the dream out for a year.

Yeah. I did. And then you played for my team in Ohio for, what, like a half a season or something? Yeah, like two seasons. Yeah, I was like, that's cool, though. Man, that must have been crazy with all you guys back there. Yeah, like, that's cool though. Man, that must have been crazy with all you guys back there. Yeah,

man, it was a moment. And then to see all of you do so well for so long. Yeah. That's kind of rare. Like the top five picks

do that well for that long. Usually there's a few busts and a few people that kind of fizzle out. Four of the top five picks. Four of the top five. Yeah,

Darko, he didn't have the career in basketball. He has another career, I heard, but he didn't have the career in basketball. He has another career, I heard, but he didn't have a career in basketball. Right, right.

But you guys did. Yeah. So four of the top five. That's pretty big, man. We did all right. You did pretty good, man. You did all right. You balled out for a long time.

A couple Hall of Fame careers up in there. It was baller. Yeah. I mean, how many, was that three in the top 75? Or how many of you

made the top 75 team? Yeah. Melo, Brian, myself, in the 2003 class yeah that's pretty pretty big i'm curious about um i had kobe on um a few years ago and i was more i've told this story on my show before but i was more impressed with what i witnessed before i interviewed him than the interview the interview for me was incredible it was he was unbelievable how real and honest and open he was but I got to his office

and about an hour and 40 minutes before the interview to set up because I booked the the interview actually the night before he had a podcast that he was launching called the punies and I remember getting there early no one was in the lights were off in the office his assistant like unlocks the door lets me in she's there and lets me in lights come on I kind of she's like okay here's where we normally film in this part of the office I was like well can I see the rest of it I don't know if I'm assuming you've been to his office I'm not never been never been there. So it's kind of a big open room.

And then there's like these glass windows with conference rooms on either side in a hallway that goes down. And then it opens up into another big open room. And so I walked down the hallway of these glass kind of conference room windows and the lights are off in these rooms. And I opened up into the next room and I was like, ah, there's nothing here that looks good to film. Let's go back. So I go back and as I'm walking past the last window to open back up

in the open room, I see a shadow in the back of the corner of the room sitting. And I take a double glance as I'm walking by and I'm like, the assistant, I was like, is that Kobe? This is like 6.30 AM. And he goes, I was like, is that me the lights are off he's sitting in the in the back of the room no computer on no phone just kind of sitting there looking up and but he didn't see me or I don't think he did he's trying to turn his back to the window and I was thinking what's he doing here she was like here's the first one in here this is after he won his Oscar and like all his awards and stuff and retired and everything and I go it's the first one he doesn't have to be in here.

He's like, well, he was working out with his daughter this morning and then he came here before anyone else. And he sat in there and was just like meditating or visualizing, I'm not sure what he did in there for the next hour and a half before he came out. But I was so impressed with his, with that moment. Yeah, that's all.

Like no one else saw that. Yeah. And I was just like, this guy doesn't have to do this. After he's retired and had all the success, he doesn't have to do this after he's retired and had all the success he doesn't have to but he was still doing it and that what was cool for me to witness someone of that level of greatness that's awesome beyond his career yeah bro I'm curious what was one of your favorite moments that you got to witness with him maybe you've already talked about it but just curious whether it be playing or behind the scenes Was there something that you really were inspired by? Well, I mean everything

You know, I always talk about my favorite players Michael Jordan, but my next two like I say, okay if he's one then One a and B or whatever have you want to do it is Kobe and Iverson. Yeah, right and so I Delize the guy as well and to be able to come into the relationship So I idolized the guy as well. And to be able to come into the relationship, and also, too, it sucked when I got in. My second year, they pinned me and Kobe versus each other because Shaq came to Miami. And I'm like, no, no, I don't want him. It's my guy. But I guess the moments for me, which is probably the most special moment, is the Olympic moments.

Because that's the time where you get a chance to really get to know someone. You're spending, we were together for a month and a half. The Olympics was like over the course of years, like we trained together in Vegas. And I talk about plenty of stories and one of my favorite stories is similar to yours. I remember getting into one of the cities and like, you know, very late

and we couldn't really sleep. You on all kind of time zones, whatever. So, you know, my crew, you know, with Brian and with, you know, Mello and CP and you know, the crew. We all together. And so we decided, we like, yo, tomorrow, man, first person up, wake me up. We gonna go to breakfast, we gonna go eat.

Like, you know, whatever. Like the food person up, wake me up. We gonna go to breakfast, we gonna go eat, like, you know, whatever. Like the food should open up at this hour. We were hungry. What Olympics was this? This was 2008. Okay. 2008 Olympics. And so- This is China. This is, yeah, but this is on our way.

Okay, you're touring Europe or something. We're touring our way there. Yeah, gotcha. And now, I mean, but we get in late, you're tired, you know, whatever, but we hungry, but we like, yo, let's go to sleep and then let's get up so we can eat. Like let's going to sleep long. We know it, right? So anyway, long story short, we all go down there. As we get down there, Kobe's sitting at the table.

Already? Already. He's sitting at the table and he's sitting there. So imagine this, it's like this. So imagine this table and we're walking from that way and Kobe's sitting where you are and it's his security guy right here. So we're walking and then he's like, what? He got ice on his knees? So I'm like, what? In my mind, I'm like, what? He got ice on his knees? What?

What are you doing? So we walk up. What's up, Kobe? And Kobe Bryant fashion. He look at us and we like, yo, what's good? He like, I just got my second workout in. He already finished. He just finished his workout he did not work out already that he already no come on i think he did a basketball workout on the court and i think he did a weight room workout but before

you guys got to breakfast early morning we were only asleep for about three hours oh my goodness so i'm like in my mind, I'm like, okay. I had always heard about the work ethics of Kobe Bryant, but I'd never seen him. I'm like, man, I work hard, too. Yeah. At that moment. You got Tim Grover training. Yeah.

I'm like, I work hard. At that moment, a different respect from all of us. Oh, my gosh. I was like, I got to get together. I got to start getting up early. And so the same thing is he set himself apart in so many different ways. And it wasn't – maybe that night, maybe I scored more points than him the next night.

It wasn't about that. But the mental edge that he had on people, he understood that I'm playing on a team with all these great young players who trying to come and take my take the spot and I'm not only gonna do what they do just as good or better I'm gonna do more than them a lot more than them just to separate myself you know that's craziness and so that was like I explained the Olympic story with that me, it always sticks out of being able to see just walk. And I mean, I'm I'm 2008.

I'm I'm good, too. You know, I'm LeBron's bad man. We have some bad boys. It was a different level. And that level made us go to a different level. Man, that's inspiring. Yeah. Do you feel like you sustain that level in your career?

I mean, do you step it up to that? Or are you like, okay, I'm going to step it up, but it's still not this insanity level of like two workouts at 3 a.m. or something before everyone gets there? No, I never got there. Yeah. You know, and I feel like you got to find what works for you too. Yeah, of course.

You're living a life. You're having fun. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but like I was more so of a I was a midnight workout guy. I was you know, I had when I came in NBA, I already had a kid. I was already. Yeah. So, you know, I was one of those guys who would go work out early and then go practice and then come back home, spend time with the family. Everybody sleep. Now I'm driving back into the arena at 12 and come back. You know, I did that. I was that guy. So, you know, you got to find out.

What works for you. What works for you. But in that moment of the Olympics, when I know we're tired, these flights are long. You know, we're playing, we're traveling, we're practicing and that. He's older than us. And to see that. That's another level.

That's a different level. You always looked like you had so much confidence on the court. Like, you know, we were talking beforehand how you were saying how you missed like five seconds left getting the ball and it's down to you what is this moment with the stadium screaming or the they're booing at you wherever you're at and you always like that you have so much confidence and poise and grace and you're like an artist on the court I think of athletes as artists because i looked at myself as an artist playing football and improvising uh with the ball in the air and

catching the ball and stuff did you ever doubt yourself did you ever have insecurities and if so if so how did you learn to manage or overcome self-doubt so it didn't cripple you oh my self doubt creeps in all the time. Yeah. I don't know because I don't get to talk to every great human being in the world, but I'm sure all of them has have and do have self-doubt at times.

How often was it for you? Was it just in the games? Was it every game? Was it, you know? Self-doubt can be in moments. You can come into a game with all the confidence and then you miss seven shots in a row. Now you got self-doubt. Right. You didn't seven shots in a row. Now you got self-doubt.

You missed the open layup. Now you got self-doubt. Self-doubt comes at random times. You're not prepared for self-doubt. Now you got to get rid of it. How would you get rid of it? Many different ways. Sometimes your teammates got to help you get out of it. Sometimes your coach has got to help you get out of it. Sometimes coach got to write up a drop

of play to give me an easy one. Right, right. I'll leave you tipping in. Give me an easy one. You know, and you know, sometimes you got, you know, sometimes you're looking around the arena, you see a kid in your jersey. You know, you like, all right, it's bigger than me. It's not about, you know, it's a, for me, I use a lot of things.

Like I'm one of them people who can get motivated very easily, but in a sense of getting motivated very easily You can be down on yourself and have self-doubt very easily not thinking you're great enough not thinking you're enough Lacking confidence in your shot, you know and whatever it was I definitely had a lot of self-doubt self-doubt But I was always able to pull from things or pull from people and allow them to bring me back I always tell my son that allow the people around you. God has put these people in your life for a reason. So allow your friends, allow me, allow the people you trust around you to bring you back. Because we're going to have

those moments of self-doubt when we feel, you know, you feel you ugly. You feel, you know, I wish I was tall. I wish my feet looked like, like whatever. We doubt a lot. And you got to have people around you to bring you back. You got to allow them to bring you back. And that's all I always tell my son. Allow it. So right now, you know, I'm having moments. I'll be like, be have your anger, have your disgust with missing a shot, whatever. Allow people around you, though, to bring you back. Don't stay in it too long. Wow. Because you get lost. You go down a dark road if you stay in self-doubt too long it's dark absolutely you know and so um it's life is hard enough life is hard enough it's been hard enough for me it's been it's hard enough for all

of us every day right so you don't want to add an extra one what's already hard and so you know the thing with self-doubt for me is like once once again, it's just allowance. It's allowing people that I've put it in my circle that God has put around me to bring me out of it. Yeah. I love how you talked about your sister got you into these kind of dream visualization states when you were a kid and you started using that when you were playing the game.

Did you have a specific routine right before every game or in between timeouts or anything where you put your mindset in a certain frame? Or was it more just I'm just showing up and doing my thing? How did your mind show up for you in those moments? Yeah. So how my book is set up, I set it up by the first chapter that you would see is called pregame. And then it's first quarter, second, third, fourth, and then postgame. Halftime also.

Right, halftime. So that's when, like, you know, that's the celebrity side. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Halftime. So look at him. I went through the book, man. Look at you. I saw the digital version.

Look at you, bro. I went through everything, man. That was impressive. I saw everything, man. That was impressive. I got you. So pregame. And I talk about pre-game but pre-game

is getting prepared for the game right and so i think over the course of my career you know i never was a person who did the same thing every time like i didn't put my right side right right my left so but you do try to find things that work some of them stick with them and so some of my more iconic pre-game things when it came to what the fans seen uh was two things one i used to do these three pull-ups on the rim before every game you know put your head up through it right yeah try to flex my muscles a little bit you know what's up you know and it was a way to kind of get jacked and get ready for the game you know do a couple pull-ups um the whole all attention go to me everybody and i scream just you know the microphone is in there. And one of the other things I did on court wise was a part of my pregame.

This is all a part of my pregame because I need these things are what I've put into my pregame of what I need before I play. If I don't go do that, I feel off. Some is off. And so I was I was at a dinner recently with a lot of friends. But one of them is James Gordon. And James, on record, just said I'm his favorite basketball player. And he tells me why. Okay. And so the reason I'm his favorite basketball player, long story short, he didn't know anything about basketball. He comes to the stage, he goes to a game, it's in Miami.

He's sitting next to a guy, he's like, hey, who should I be cheering for? The guy said, number three, you should watch him. who should I be cheering for? The guy said, number three, you should watch him. And so I come out, and before the game, I will always, you know, go dap all my teammates, my coaches. I go dap everybody at the scores table, all the announcers, everybody. Referees, yeah.

Not the refs. Not dap. But then I will go to each end of the floor, all four sides, and I'll raise the goal, and I'll just get everybody like this, right? And I'll run to the next side, and I'll be the goal and i'll just get everybody like this right and i'll run to the next side and i'll be like and i'll just get everybody lifted and so he was just like that was so amazing to him because he was just like this was his first game and like when i did that the energy and arena went up and he was like oh my god i love this guy yeah yeah yeah and that was one of the things that like i needed to do I needed to like show respect and show love to the to the people who spend their hard money to come and watch us play I'm letting you know I'm about

to try to give you my best tonight I'm ready um and so that was that was one of my things from a pre-game standpoint on the court you know that I would do that I needed to do that it's kind of like if anybody know anything about me they will oh yeah he did the chin-ups or yeah he did like this you know people people knew that it was like in video games and all kind of stuff Right, but in the locker room the most important thing for me pregame Which I did every game was I needed a moment by myself to quiet the noise I had already prepared. I'm already dressed. I've worked out coaches said his thing. I've always took Moments, but I will go in the back in the shower, you know I'm already dressed. I've worked out. Coach has said his thing. I've always took moments.

But I will go in the back in the shower. I will go in the back in the steam room. I go in the back in the bath, in the toilet area, wherever I can find quiet time. I need a quiet time. I need a quiet time to once again visualize what I wanted in this game. I visualize before every game how I wanted the game to go. Did it always go that way? Of course not.

But always the power of visualization. And so before every game I would take five minutes and I'll visualize how I wanted the game to go. That's beautiful. Yeah. And that was one of my pregame. I love that. In the locker room.

I love that. And what about when you were losing, which didn't happen often? How did you frame your mindset in those places, whether you're down by two or 20, which probably didn't happen that often, but most of the times in those places whether you're down by two or twenty which probably didn't happen that often But most of the times in your like, you know in your championship runs and everything It's like you guys were winning all the time. But when you were behind, yeah, where would your mind go? Would you go focus inward? Would you go focus on teammates? Would you focus on a coach? Would you focus on like what would your mind think about in order to bring you guys

back i'm sure a lot of different things um but i i probably my one of my greatest strengths i think i don't know if anybody else think it is the even-keeledness of of me right like my personality and everything i kind of stay real even-keeled not too high not not too low. Not too high, not too low. And that was one message that Coach Spoh, even though it seemed like that message followed me. My high school coach would say it in his own way. Coach Spoh would talk about it in his own way. Talk about the ebb and flow. He'd talk about, listen, let's stay here.

Even when we won 27 games in a row, it was like, yo, let's stay here. But we want to go there. He's like, let's stay here. Wow. So I think that was one of my greatest dreams was the ability to stay even keel. And so when you know your team is talented enough to come back from 20, you can have confidence. When you're on a team and you know you're not talented enough

to come back from 20, you're gone. You're like, well, this one's over. Let me get my numbers, you know, whatever it is. So different teams, depending on if you're down 20 or it gives you different kind of swagger and confidence. No lie. You know, whatever it is. So different teams, depending on if you're down 20, it gives you different kind of swagger and confidence. No lie. I'm not going to say that every team I played on, I was like, no, we good.

No, some teams I'm like, no, guys, we in trouble. We got to start. We can't start the game off getting down 10. We're not coming back. We don't have enough firepower. But when you are part of the big three era, and you're playing with Ray Allen and LeBron and Chris Bosh. You can do anything. We can come back from 40.

Two minutes left. Down 35. Let's pick it up, fellas. Come back and win by 20. That's how you feel. That's cool. I'm curious. Where do you think you would be in your life if you didn't have great coaches? Where do you think you'd be as an athlete, your career, if you weren't put in coaches, where do you think you'd be as an athlete, your career,

if you weren't put in the position with great coaching on your side? Do you think you'd still be able to accomplish what you want? Do you think you'd struggle more? You'd have never heard of me. You'd never heard of me. I've watched so many great athletes, a lot of great athletes in my neighborhood,

in my high school, in my community. Probably more athletic than you, probably. Way more, better, more coordinated. Jump higher. Everything. So I've watched it. And I've watched a lot of great athletes not get opportunities or not have the right mentor. All these things.

I got lucky because I had so many great mentors. And it started from a coaching standpoint. And I talk about it in my documentary. I mentioned in my book, I talk about my Gary Adams was my high school assistant coach who was the first person to take me and say, Hey, do you want to be great? Before I knew what great was, he's like, Do you want to be great?

And I was like, Yeah. He was like, Well, I need to show up every day. And it was like summertime. I remember you're like, I you want to be great and I was like yeah he was like well I need to show up every day and it was like summertime I remember you're like I just want to play I want to hang out friends I'm gonna hang out he's like I'm gonna come and pick you up I'm gonna hit the horn one time you better come out you better be ready if you late one day I ain't never coming back Wow if you want to be great this is what you do every day in the summer every day in the summer after my freshman year I was in the gym with Gary Adams. And so that was the start of it.

I mean, my dad was my first coach, but that was the start of all these great mentors. Jack Fitzgerald, my high school coach, amazing mentor, amazing person to help me with this vision of, I think I want to go to college, coach. You know what I mean? All right, well, let's go to some games. You know what I mean? Like my high school coach and my sister coach, they would take me to games. College games. College games.

Go watch and see. Went to a Marquette game once. Didn't even know Marquette was a part of my future. I went to a Marquette game. So all these mentors, man, I would be nowhere if it wasn't for people taking, you know, a likeness to me, you know, and me respecting their time, respecting, you know, what they were trying to give me and just applying it and doing it and being like, I'm open.

Give me everything because I always just, I wanted different. I didn't want what I seen. I just knew what I would see. I'm like, I don't want this. I want something different for my family. And so every opportunity I had someone that come in my life, I think I, like, I felt it.

I was like, this person is in my life for a reason. Let me connect with this person. You know what I mean? Like, some people come in your life, you're like, they don't need to be in there. And some people, you're like, okay. And so my mentors, my coaches, they were all in my life for a reason. I listened. You know, as hard-headed as I might have been as a kid growing up, I listened to my coaches.

What were a couple of the greatest lessons you remember from some of those coaches, whether it be the high school coach or NBA coaches? Do you remember a couple lessons that really stand out? The greatest lessons. I would say I think the thing I carry in life is one of the greatest lessons probably come from Pat Riley and the Miami Heat. I feel that even in business, even as a father, I use a lot of the verbiage, the language,

the examples that I learned when I came into the NBA, into Miami. And I talked about this in my retirement speech, is Miami has this thing called culture. Everyone is like, well, what is the Miami culture? Miami has this thing called culture. Everyone is like, well, what is the Miami culture? And to me, what the Miami culture is, is discipline, right?

It teaches you discipline. It's military in a way, but it teaches you ownership of. The Miami heat culture. The Miami heat culture. The Miami Heat culture. Yeah, yeah. Not the city of Miami culture. That's why the culture in Miami has to teach you this. Exactly, yeah. Because the city of Miami-

That's why I was like, okay, I'm making sure, yeah. The city of Miami is teaching you temptation at its highest. Yeah, of course, yeah. But I would say the lessons that I learned is, and it was mottos in Miami, it was we're gonna be the best condition most is the toughest and all those lessons to me was important coming from where I come from not having a lot of structure right now not having a lot of discipline I mean especially getting into the world of

having money having fame and not knowing what to do with this, right? How did you learn to manage fame and finances when it's like you never had it and now you've got an abundance seeming of it? Making mistakes. And I've spent a lot of it and done a lot of dumb things, not knowing about it. Once you get it, everything that you've ever wanted,

you can now have, right? And so what are you gonna do? You're gonna go get it. If you don't know. Jordan told me't go get it right if you don't know Jordan told me to go get it I'm going to get it yeah and then I got I lost it all yeah you you do and so I think I think for me you know just really and I just go back to Miami in Miami the the the pulse that Miami had the hand that Pat Rowley put on that shoulder that a lot of people don't like because you kind of feel guided.

You kind of feel like a child at time. But the lessons that it taught me about what it takes to build a culture, what it takes to actually win, you know, that's the lessons that I take in my everyday life when I'm building a business, when I'm building a family atmosphere, you know, in my household, when I'm working with my wife as partners. I take so many lessons from, you know, my days in Miami and what Power Rally stands for of building a culture that is built on discipline, is built on respect, is built on toughness, not giving up, not quitting. The next man is just as important. Like, you know, all these tools. Yeah, that's inspiring, man.

When someone finds a great coach or someone finds a coach that wants to support them, whether it be as an athlete or in life, what should that student do in your mind? If they see that, hey, someone's showing interest in me, I think they're a good coach, they could be a great coach, or they've got proven results in the past, how should that student show up to get the best out of it?

What would you do if it was a girl you liked or a guy that someone was interested in or a relationship that you wanted and they showed interest in you what would you do you're going towards it if you want yeah if you want it as well yeah right so if i want it and you show interest in me what i'm going to do so that's the same thing right it's the same mentality is if a coach is showing interest in you and and you want to be great you want to be at this level then you do what you do when you see that person you won't you go all in you won't don't miss that moment because you know like when you know when you shy like i was growing up you miss moments

you miss these opportunities you're like dang next time it may not be a next time and so when you have a coach that's really pouring something into you because it's hard for coaches to pour something to every player but when they focus on you when they cussing you out in practice when they kicking you out of practice they care in a weird way they do they do and so for me is gravitate towards that is understand that every certain people is putting our lives for certain reasons right and you can miss it you can miss that you can let that person go you can let that person walk out you can miss that moment because maybe you're not ready yeah and so the saying is stay ready so you have't have to get ready. Yeah. So whenever that moment comes, if you find a coach, stay ready. Be ready.

Be prepared. Right. Because this right here, it can change your entire trajectory in life. Yeah. Just by this one mentorship, this one coach, you know, that one experience. Yeah. Your book is amazing, though. I did go through the digital version of it because I was going through it yesterday.

They sent that over. Dwayne, your kind of whole life, your story, your career. But I went through this all that. And I know everything. I know the hat top. I know everything. Even the part you missed. I saw everything in here.

I read through this. Really inspiring. I mean, it's an amazing showcase of your life, your story. But I think what's really cool is the mindset behind the scenes. So I want people to pick up a copy of this, get a copy for a friend or a family member. It shows everything that you've really been through, which is really cool. And I want people to get this because it's inspiring.

It'll be a good piece. You can put it on your countertop. It's a coffee table book. It's really cool. Yeah, man. It's really cool. Thank you. And you've got stuff about your relationships.

I'm curious. I don't know how many people ask you about relationships because you guys put it out there, your relationship. And I think the stigma is that high profile athletes, high profile actors, celebrities struggle in intimate relationships. That's the kind of stereotype. You see them get together, then they break up, right? Just curious, what would be the three things that someone who is going to build a bigger personal brand, maybe they've got an audience, maybe they're a celebrity or they're going to be a celebrity in some industry or in the world, what would you say are the three keys to sustaining a healthy, quality, long-term relationship? Committed.

As a person who's been divorced and made a lot of mistakes in relationships. Well, that's why you know. Let me see. That's why you know, because you've made the mistakes. But now you've got this incredible, or at least seems incredible, relationship and marriage.

What would you say are the three keys, knowing that it's never perfect, but what would those three keys be? I don't know. I know the first one comes to mind is respect. Respect. It's respecting what the other person is, what they, you know, what they are, what they bring to the table. Respect,

you know, in a relationship, everyone needs to feel respected. And when you come home from a hard day at work and you've been doing this and that, you want to come home and feel like you appreciate it. You respect it for the hard work that you put in and what you provide for the house, right? And so in any relationship, in any partnership, everyone wants to feel, you know, respected for what they bring and what they do. And so I think it's the same in any relationship with my wife. She wants to feel, my wife works, she grinds, she's working right now on a movie, she's not home with my daughter. And so I need to make sure she feels appreciated, make sure she feels seen, and make sure she feels respected when she comes through that door.

And it's not easy because my life is so big. And at times, I can kind of get in my own life and I kind of be like this a little bit. And I'm not trying to be, but that's showing a lack of respect for what she do and how hard she works and her position. Her position is not to always be behind me. Her position sometimes is to be behind me, to be on side of me, to be in front of me, to whatever, right? It's ever evolving. And so the first thing that comes to mind is respect. Go with that. Number two? yes go there number two okay number two be open ooh be open you know I feel like when I've made my wife first got together I was a closed minded person

really yeah when it came to travels when it came to eating food when it came to conversations with people and I'm still it's still times my wife got to come in and be like no I need you to do this or you should do this or this is why you should do this and I'm like okay all should do this. And I'm like, okay, all right. So be open-minded. And I feel like being open, like if you have a partner in business, be open to his or her ideas.

Even if you are the one who started a company, they're there for a reason. So be open to suggestions, be open to another way. Understand that to lead doesn't mean you always have to lead in the front so you know be open to other ideals yeah you know okay let's go with that the third one healthy long-term committed happy relationship what is that third key let's see respect be open and um i would say because i do a lot of this i think you know a lot of people probably see socially like i do a lot of things a lot of surprises for my wife i do

a lot of uh you know take you know plan a lot of things and the reason i do that is because we know how it is you know listen marriage is probably people probably gonna be mad at me but marriage is probably one of the most unsexiest things in the world. You get to see behind the curtain of everything. You know what I mean? Like when you marry, you get to see everything about this person. And it's not the most, it's not the sexiest thing in the world, right? To see everything.

And so to keep the spot, to keep the, you know, to keep your, you wanting or your wife wanting or, you know, you got to do these things. You got to go on date nights. You know, you got to go, you know, change your hair up. You know what I'm saying? You got to go spend a little money and, you know, go out to beautiful places, you know. So for me, I'm like, I guess I'm romantic. I think being romantic is a key. I think not just from one side both sides need the romance

The romantic part of it. That's cool If you're gonna If you go be married, yeah, you need to keep you know, you got to keep some of their romance their romantic part So for me, I feel like it's been Spontaneous it's been adventurous you know is is being, for me, not scared to do things that maybe don't look so macho or man don't, God, we don't do that. You know, it's like, no, my wife actually leaves the house a lot. If you want a successful marriage and relationship, your wife actually leaves the

house a lot. You follow a lot too, you know? So yeah, I don't know if those are good ones. It's good, man. It's great. I love it. I have two final those are good ones it's good man I have two final questions for you it's a question I asked called the three truths it's a hypothetical scenario imagine it's your last day on earth you get to live as long as you want to live okay and you get to live all your dreams and everything comes true okay but for whatever reason you've got to take all of your body of work with you. The book, this interview, any interview you've ever done, we don't have access to your information anymore.

It's all to the next place. It goes with you or it goes somewhere else. But you get to leave behind. You've got a pen and a paper and you get to write down three things you know to be true about life, about your existence, about life. Three lessons that you would leave behind to the world. And this is all we would have to remember you by. What would you say are those three truths for you? Now, these lessons are just lessons that, what are these lessons?

These are like things that you would leave, you would say to the world, you know, if I could share three things to the world about the lessons on how to live a great life, what would be those three lessons or three things that you feel are true to you that you would want people to know about living a great life? Well, I, okay, so the first thing that comes to mind is something simple, hard work.

Nothing is accomplished without hard work you know I know some people think oh this guy got a hand it to him not if you're if you're if you're gonna be great and if you are great you know if you're good you gotta work hard at it you know I mean like even if you bad actually got to work hard at being bad too like this so for me my main message to my son is about the work you put in it's about hard work okay number two that'd be one number two lesson that I will leave behind patience mmm I believe that as people we all need a little bit more of this and and I'm not talking about in every aspect some things need to hurry up but we need more patience in traffic we need more patience with each other we need more more patience in

relationships to understand that you come from a totally different place than I you come from a totally different background so I need patience to learn to listen you know means and we don't have a lot of that we're in a world right now is it's the, cancel, you out. Cancel patience. All right, teach me, educate me. So patience.

Yeah, okay. Number three. Some hard work, patience. And the third one, if I had to leave something, would be energy. Amen to that. Energy. I remember that. Energy. I'm a firm believer in the energy you put out

is the energy you receive. The way you treat others is the way you're, you know. If you treat someone bad, they may not treat you bad. If you're treating people bad, you may not be treated bad, but your family may. So you try to treat others like you want people in your family to be treated. You treat others with the respect. I look you you and i when we talk or shake your hand whatever it is you know try to treat people the way you want to be so the energy you give out

to me is what you receive back yeah so it's a great truce man um i've got one final question but uh before i share the final question make sure you guys get a copy of the book really inspiring book um a lot of great lessons a copy of the book. Really inspiring book. A lot of great lessons, a lot of great images, stories. I mean, you've had an incredible career and I feel like

it's just getting started. This is like, this is like, you know, this is period number two for you. You know, this is like,

you had your NBA career, now it's like, you're not even a halftime. Oh, I'm in pregame. You're in pregame. I'm in pregame. I'm in pregame. I'm in pre-game yeah but uh get a copy get a copy

for your friends um and uh spread the message about the book really inspiring book and i'm glad i got to go through it last night it was really cool before i ask the final question uh duane i want to acknowledge you for a moment for being an incredible human being again all the people i reached out to and asked about you they didn't talk about how amazing you were as a player. They talked about how incredible you are with your heart. And so I really acknowledge you for the gift that you are, how you show up with energy, how you show up and the impact you've made. I mean, you're a mentor to so many kids, just the way Michael was for you. You don't even know the impact you've made on so many kids' lives who are now growing up that got to watch you play.

And so I really acknowledge you for how you've shown up every single day on and off the court. Not perfect human being, obviously, we all make mistakes, but you keep showing up authentically you. And for me, that's pretty cool to watch. So I acknowledge you for that.

And I'm rooting for you for many, many years, man. I hope you have a lot of success because you deserve it now I got a little warming thank you man just got a little warm of course well of course man and my final question is what's your definition of greatness consistency yeah to be great you got to be consistent you got to do it you got to do it every day you know we think about the greatest player to ever the greatest players or player, depending on what you want to talk about,

to ever play the game, it's the consistency in that player. LeBron James is one of the greatest because he hasn't missed a lot of games. He's been consistent. So for me, you know, that's the thing I strive for, is to be consistent and understanding that we are imperfect human beings.

We're going to make mistakes. We're going to lack in certain areas. but I try to be a consistent presence, a consistent voice, you know, consistent person, you know, and so I feel like if you can focus in on the consistency of life, you know, that's the thing that will get you to greatness. Now, at different times, you may get there. It may take you 20 years to get there. It may take you a one year, but just stay consistent, stay true to you, stay consistent to the work. And that's where greatness follow.

And I think, and I'm gonna mess it up, but Will Smith said this recently. Shout out to Will, he's on his book tour. Yeah. It's weird too that his book is called Will and mine is called Dwayne. But he said, and I talked to my son about it, and like I said, I may mess the quote up, but, you know, is, and I always say to my son, I say, listen, the goal is every day is to put one foot in front of the next, right?

Is no matter how hard yesterday was, it's every day, get out of bed, and something that you believe in and you want, then go at it every day. And if you put enough good days together you fuck around have a good life mmm and to me that's consistency it's putting enough consistent days together you mess around and you have a good life whoo and so are you I tell my son at all the time and and then Will said it, and I was like, this is what I was saying. Yeah, yeah. So, consistency. I love that. My man.

Thank you very much. My hand's sweaty. It's all good. Appreciate you very much, man. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and it inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a full rundown of today's show with all the important links. And also make sure to share this with a friend and subscribe over on Apple Podcasts as well.

I really love hearing feedback from you guys. So share a review over on Apple and let me know what part of this episode resonated with you the most. And if no one's told you lately, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there

and do something great.