Dwyane Wade gave an emotional tribute to his father, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Sr., during his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this week.
Wade also thanked his mother, JoLinda, his wife, Gabrielle Union, his children, and the Miami Heat in the 25-minute-long speech on Aug. 12.
The Hall of Fame ceremony took place at the Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the retired athlete thanked his father both at the beginning of his speech and at the end while moving the crowd to tears.
Wade was dashing in a white suit as he gave his acceptance speech, and toward the end he asked his father to stand up.
“Pops, would you please stand,” said the former NBA star. “I started this off thanking you, and I want to end it the same way.”
He continued, “I owe you a debt of gratitude that I’ll never be able to repay. When I would cry and say, ‘I can’t,’ you made me go harder. You pushed me to limits I didn’t know were inside of me,” he stated. “The hard work I put in was because I didn’t want to let you down.”
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Wade has often credited his father for saving his life as he grew up surrounded by drugs and gang life in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were divorced, and after initially living with his mother, he eventually went to live with his father in a different neighborhood when he was nine years old.
The now 41-year-old spoke of the time that his father spent training him, stating that it “built me to last.” He thanked his father for making sure he was just as good with his left hand as he was with his right. He also recalled Wade Sr. once being removed from a game before sneaking back in to coach his son from the stands only to “get kicked out again.”
“It showed me that there was no limitations on how you would show up for me,” he added. “It’s the exact same way I try to show up for my kids. So even though I hated being called ‘Little Dwyane,’ I admired you as a kid. I admire you now. We had the same exact dream and we carry the same exact name: Dwyane Tyrone Wade. To know we hustled all the way to the Basketball Hall of Fame is God’s will.”
He then called his father up on stage to share in the limelight.
“So, Pops, I know your knees a little sore, but will you join me on stage as we take our rightful step into basketball heaven?”
As the elder Wade joined his son on the stage, the two embraced before his son said, “This one right here, this one is for my father. I love you, and I’m thankful for you.”
“I love you too, man,” replied Wade Sr.
“We in the Hall of Fame, dawg,” added the younger Wade, as the two laughed and embraced again.
Former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III shared a clip of his speech on X with the caption, “This moment between Dwayne (sic) Wade and his Dad is EVERYTHING.”
The Miami Heat also shared the entire speech with the caption, “Grab your tissues and enjoy@DwyaneWade’s full Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement speech. Worth every second.”
Fans also reacted to Wade’s speech on social media, with many noting that they were moved by the speech.
“Wow amazing still wiping my eyes. Congratulations to you and u pops,” replied one sports fan.
“Myyyyy what an amazing speech this brought tears to my eyes,” added another. “Well deserved D.Wade Congratulations HOF.”
“It’s so great to see a Father is getting recognition,” noted another.
“wow damn i forgot to turn off them damn onions.”
Wade played for 16 years in the NBA and earned All-Star status 13 times. He retired from the sport in 2019 after playing for the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
