Credited his father to push his limits once, and now Dwyane Wade himself is testing his father’s on the hardwood. The Miami Heat icon has shared a close bond with his father which he has time and again highlighted. His speech during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a peak display of these emotions. More recently, however, The Flash went back to a competitive bond between a father and a son that pushes the limits of next generation. Only this time, the tables had been turned.

A series of IG stories showed the 3x NBA champ involved in friendly one-on-one half-court game play. And a particular clip had Dwyane Wade pitted against Dwyane Wade Sr. The ex-Heat star showed no mercy in his defense against his father, even stealing the ball doing so. “Treating Pops like he used to treat me,” Wade wrote in the caption, with a rolling-on-the-floor laughing emoji.

Wade Sr. was a guiding force in his son’s life, helping him out even with his game. Something that the 3x NBA champ highlighted during his HOF speech. According to Dwyane Wade, his father took custody of him when he was 9. His mother, JoLinda Wade, was struggling with substance abuse at the time. And Dwyane Sr. stepped up, raising the Heat icon and his siblings in Illinois while instilling the values of discipline and leadership.

It wasn’t just life lessons he passed down, though.

Wade Sr. also took on the role of coach, guiding his son through the early stages of his basketball journey. Reflecting on these moments, Wade made sure to express his gratitude during his Hall of Fame speech. “I started this off thanking you, and I want to end it the same way. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I’ll never be able to repay,” Wade shared.

He continued, “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 me. The hard work I put in was because I didn’t want to let you down.” The speech had a deep impact on a level that Wade Sr. revealed later.

Dwyane Wade Sr.’s response to his son’s heartfelt HOF speech

Wade Sr. shared just how much his son’s Hall of Fame speech meant not just to him but to fathers everywhere. Appearing on The Why with Dwyane Wade podcast, he described the moment as one that broke barriers. “I felt like that speech opened the door for all the fathers of America. Like, we all heard that speech and we all cried to that speech,” he revealed.

For him, it wasn’t just a tribute—it was a shared experience for dads who’ve endured life’s ups and downs. Even Dwyane himself couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions.

“I cried like a baby,” the 3x NBA champ admitted, recalling how he spent hours crying after rewatching the speech. For now, however, it’s time to create some hilarious memories while recreating the old ones and the father-son duo seems to be enjoying doing that.