Despite Backlash, Dwyane Wade’s Ugly Bruises Pushed Him Towards Major Fashion Choice

We all love a little extra care and love. And the love language can be different for everyone. Perhaps that’s the reason why many get criticized for doing something as simple as painting nails. 3x NBA champion Dwyane Wade was trolled for wearing nail paint during one of his appearances at the Kaseya Center by rapper Ma$e. However, for Wade, it’s just self-care and showing some care to himself. Recently, during a podcast, the 43-year-old shared how it started for him and when was the first time he got his nails painted. 

Wade shared that he didn’t like how his toenails looked like. Like most NBA stars, he had all bruised up toenails. Thanks to his ex-wife’s friend’s husband, Wade got his first manicure and pedicure in 2004 and since then, it has been a ritual for him. He then got the idea to paint his toenails, which he loved and that was in 2007. That was the beginning of his self-love and care. He shared that the entire process was very slow for him and that was mainly because he didn’t want to be criticized. 

Just recently, he was seen getting one during his trip to Hong Kong. “I didn’t like the way my toenails looked for a long time. They was just you know from beating, hitting the shoes…they were bruised up but yeah I saw a friend of my wife’s he had black nail polish on and I said, shout out to Jay, and I looked at it man and I was like I want to do that. Now I really want to do that one because I want to put a little shine to my toes. I want to bring a little something to them,” Wade said on The Wine Down podcast.

The Miami Heat legend applied nail paint during his vacations but he used to remove it before the season started. However, slowly, he decided to wear nail paint out in public and in front of his teammates, too. He was indeed criticised for that but just once and he got over it. 

“I stopped giving a f**k about what people have to say and I just laid them joints out there like we out here. But they smashed me in the locker room. Smashed. And then I got over that and it was just a day of getting smashed and moved on,” Wade said. And then he saw Chicago Bulls legend, Michael Jordan, wear nail paint. However, there’s a twist to it. 

Dwyane Wade got nail paint inspiration from Michael Jordan 

Wade also shared that he got a unique idea from His Airness, Michael Jordan. As per the Flash, MJ had clear transparent nail gel. After watching his idol wear the nail paint but in a different fashion, Wade also tried these clear nail gels. “One day I saw MJ (Jordan) nails and MJ had clear polish on his nails. I was like, ‘Oh yeah I can get the clear polish Mike got it,’ you know what I’m saying,” Wade said. Jordan sort of gave him the confidence.

Following this, he went on to experiment some on his thumb too. And that’s how one of his self-care habits became a fashion staple. It’s quite common for athletes to have bruised feet and badly shaped toenails. Rather than a whim or a simple fashion choice, it’s more like a necessity for athletes to get regular manicures and pedicures.

However, Wade was harshly criticized for it. Ma$e wasn’t happy with Wade’s fashion sense and even went as far as to say some harsh things about the Flash. He is not the only one. Many people on social media who still believe in the notion of outdated gender stereotypes share the sentiment. Maybe it’s time for people to change their views.