On Thursday night, Dwyane Wade is returning to Miami for the first time as a Chicago Bulls player. It will very likely be a warm welcome, as Wade won three championships with the Heat before leaving as a free agent during the offseason. That’s not someone who gets booed when coming back after 13 seasons.
But just in case, Wade wants to make sure the fans in Miami shower their current team with love and don’t pay no mind to Dwyane Wade and his sudden departure.
“If you’re not in this business, it’s hard to understand,” Wade said Monday, three nights before his first game against the Heat since his departure. “But I don’t even want them to understand — I want them to appreciate what we accomplished together. I want them to cheer for their team that they have, support those players over there that’s giving their all. Support the future of the organization and be thankful that we all was able to experience an unbelievable ride together. That’s all you can do.”
That’s nice, but my man, they weren’t going to root for you for four quarters. And don’t act like you don’t know they’re going to give you a standing ovation.
Wade is hopeful he will be cheered by many at American Airlines Arena, but he isn’t sure exactly how the reception will be.
“You never know,” he said. “You never know how you’re going to be received. But I did everything possibly right in my time there. So hopefully I’m received [for] what I’ve given to the franchise, organization. But at the same time you never know. You might hear a boo or something at some point. Everybody don’t like you. You got to understand that. But I think overall it will be positive.”
This is crazy. If more than five people boo Wade, I will walk to Miami. Heck, I’ll fly there. Then I’ll spend a week there sitting on the beach and drinking tropical beverages. Then I will eat delicious meals, many of them seafood. Not many writers are willing to put their words on the line, but I am. That’s how much I believe in what I write. That’s the Dave Lozo guarantee.
(ESPN)
