Years After Selfless Act Of $15 Million Paycut, Dwyane Wade Draws NBA Legend To Tears With Massive Tribute On HoF Stage

The much-awaited HoF enshrinement speech of Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade left the NBA world on an emotional rollercoaster. In the 25-minute-long speech, Wade took the hoops community across his successful career, highlighting the special people in his life. Particularly, he left a Heat legend in tears when he spoke about his contributions to his glorious career. Notably, Wade once selflessly agreed for a pay cut along with his teammates to keep a legacy alive.

The 3x NBA Champion ended his basketball career in 2019, playing for the Heat. During his stint, he played alongside some of the greatest of the games, like LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Shaquille O’Neal. Apart from that, he also acquired valued lessons from his opponents. Importantly, he recalled the massive influence of Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul on the game.

Dwyane Wade leaves NBA legend in tears

During his speech, Dwyane Wade credited his leading Heat’s men for influencing his game. He referred to King James as someone who doesn’t take a single day off from being great. Along with that, he spoke about Bosh and Shaq. However, his words on 43-year-old Udonis Haslem not only left tears in the legend’s eyes, but also left the audience in an emotional atmosphere.

Wade said, “My brother UD and I, we learned how to be selfless leaders together.” He further credited Haslem for helping him expand his wings. He added, “The protected that he provided me on and off the court. Provided the safety of a big brother and it allowed me to bloom and blossom.” Meanwhile, UD nodded his head in approval, listening to Wade’s speech.

Moreover, after the speech, a video clip of UD wiping his tears off as he hugged the man of the moment surfaced on the Twitter world.

Notably, Wade and UD’s bond dates back to a special moment from 2010.

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The Heat trio – Bron, Wade and Bosh – alongside Haslem won two NBA trophies in 2012 and 2013. But, this fabulous partnership has a heartwarming backstory from 2010.

The heartwarming pay cut story

Haslem played his entire 20-season-long career with the Heat. However, during his third contract extension ahead of 2010-11 season, he had major slip up.

At that time, UD’s contract was valued at $35 millions, but the Heat’s front office couldn’t offer it. As an attempt to rescue the legend’s contract, James, Wade, and Bosh agreed for a pay cut from their salary and the Heat settled for a $20 million contract with the legend.

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The 5-year-contract eventually helped the Heat win two consecutive titles. What do you make of Wade’s heartwarming gesture.