After last month’s bumpy unveiling of his statue, Dwyane Wade is ready to shift the narrative. The iconic shooting guard, whose statue reveal didn’t go quite as planned, isn’t letting the mishap define his legacy. In an interesting move, he responded to the failed debut with the release of his Li-Ning Way of Wade 11 “Statue,” a sneaker inspired by the commemorative moment. Now, in a continued effort to keep fans buzzing, Wade has showcased another exclusive pair of sneakers.
In a move straight out of the modern athlete’s playbook, the Miami Heat Hall of Famer recently took to his Instagram story to show off a recently released show from his Li-Ning shoe line – the Way of Wade 1 Retro PBJ Warrior Black, retailing for a cool $289. He boasted the shiny sneakers around at the Utah Jazz vs the Phoenix Suns as he captioned his photo with his group, “Took the fellas to a ball game in Utah!”
The Retro PBJ Warrior Black was released back on October 13th of this year. Li-Ning Way of Wade 1 PBJ high-top professional basketball shoes use simple color matching, simple and casual. The release date was the 12th year since Wade signed with Li-Ning. The name PBJ comes from the code name of the 12-year contract confidentiality period: Project Bei Jing.
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The PBJ colorway is the first pair of Way of Wade to be officially released. Dwayne Wade first wore this pair of Way of Wade 1 during training before the official announcement of the signing. The upper sole is made of cow-split leather, cow-split suede, and TPU whereas the sole is made of rubber and carbon fiber.
Dwyane Wade’s long-running partnership with the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning has been an interesting one to follow over the years The former Miami Heat superstar signed a lifetime deal with Li-Ning back in 2012, leaving his long-time sponsor Nike in the process. At the time it was a bold and unconventional move but one that has clearly worked for Wade.
“I can remember being on the call when I was contemplating leaving the Jordan Brand to come over to Li-Ning and thinking about all the things that could go wrong. So just to be here and to be able to go through everything, it’s a real surreal moment for me. It really made me happy that I could be the face for others who will eventually go through the same thing, who will have to take a step outside of what people think is the norm and do something a little different. Look no further than me,” said Wade about joining Li Ning as per Bleacher Report.
By turning the attention back to his new kicks, Wade is taking control of his narrative, showing that his legacy is more about innovation than setbacks. But even after so much effort, it seems like bad days are not leaving the 13x All-Star.
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Is Dwyane Wade's sneaker game enough to overshadow the statue blunder and keep his legacy intact?
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Another mishap for Dwyane Wade
It seems like the constant showcase of shoes didn’t work for the Miami Heat All-Star. Yet another mishap for Dwyane Wade: just days after the much-anticipated unveiling of his statue—criticized for bearing little resemblance to the Miami Heat legend—the franchise has sparked more buzz with a new animated video that similarly misses the mark.
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Posted on Instagram, the video was meant to honor Wade’s iconic performance from 15 years ago against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 11.12.09, when he went head-to-head with Anderson Varejão in a classic showdown. However, fans were quick to point out that the anime-inspired face of Wade looked nothing like him, adding fuel to the fire after the botched statue reveal.
Some fans were even sharp to point out that the statue’s face looked like Antoine Walker and now the anime face looks like the former Heat player Chris Bosh. The Miami Heat’s recent efforts to celebrate Wade’s legacy seem well-intentioned but have inadvertently sparked frustration among fans who expected a more accurate homage to their beloved superstar. But seems like Wade is also prepared to put the spotlight back in its right place, the positive!
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Is Dwyane Wade's sneaker game enough to overshadow the statue blunder and keep his legacy intact?