Is Zaire Wade finally ready for the NBA? If you’ve been following his journey, you’d know it hasn’t been the smoothest ride. Despite growing up in the shadow of a basketball legend like Dwyane Wade, Zaire’s path to the league has been filled with setbacks. His first stint in the G-League didn’t quite pan out, and he even didn’t make it to the league in his second attempt.

But there’s no denying he honed his skills with Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League and with the Macau Black Bears of the ASEAN Basketball League. So when does he use this experience to make it to the NBA? Well, the 23-year-old has an answer.

A recent post from Wade Legacy on February 3 celebrated Zaire ahead of his birthday. The caption read, “@Zaire turns 23 tomorrow. What’s been your favorite part of his journey so far?” Of course, it didn’t take long for fans to flood the comments with their thoughts. One fan in particular made a bold statement—Zaire should already be in the league. And how did he respond? Just three simple but confident words: “…In due time.”

That was a statement packed with belief. Zaire clearly hasn’t given up on his NBA dreams. He’s been putting in the work and taking steps to make it happen. It was after a tough run in the G-League and a trip overseas, that he announced his comeback in the G-League last year.

As first reported by GTV Hoops, Zaire entered the 2024 G-League Draft on October 26. If you remember, the last time Dwyane Wade’s eldest son was in the G-League, he was the 10th overall pick by the Salt Lake City Stars in 2021. Unfortunately, his momentum took a major hit when a knee injury sidelined him in 2022.

But here’s the thing about the G-League: players can enter the draft multiple times as long as they’re unsigned. And Dwyane Wade’s eldest son wasn’t going to let his previous setbacks define him. He threw his name back in the mix, hoping to get another shot.

Given his past experience in the league, many fans assumed he wouldn’t have much trouble finding a team this time around. But only if things were that easy in the cutthroat competitive scenario of basketball. Although there was no official announcement regarding Zaire going undrafted, his name was missing in a report by Bleacher Report that listed down the players who got drafted.

Dwyane Wade opened up on his son’s struggles with his basketball career

Every athlete’s journey is different, and for D-Wade’s son, Zaire, the road to professional basketball has been anything but smooth. The Flash did not hesitate to open up on it on an episode of The Wine Down podcast. Wade got real about the challenges his son faces while trying to make it to the next level.

“I love the beauty of the struggle. The journey is really where the excitement, where you feel alive. But we all want to get to the final destination. The final destination is where you have arrived. That ain’t as fun as the journey,” Wade said.

That perspective doesn’t come from nowhere. Wade himself had to fight through his own struggles before becoming an NBA legend. Despite being a standout in high school and setting multiple school records, he was only recruited by three Division I programs—held back by low ACT scores.

Because of those academic struggles, Dwyane Wade was forced to sit out his freshman year at Marquette. It was a tough start, but instead of letting it define him, he used it as fuel. By the time he was done, he had led Marquette to its third Final Four appearance in program history.

Now, Wade was passing down that wisdom to his son, reminding him that the outside noise doesn’t define his worth. “To watch Zaire get up every day and chase something when everybody telling him he shouldn’t chase it… ‘You’re not as good as your dad’… There’s beauty in that,” he said.

It’s not easy being the son of an NBA great, but Wade sees the bigger picture. The struggle isn’t a setback—it’s part of the story. And with Zaire Wade stating he’ll be in the NBA in “due time”, it’s clear he has not give up hope despite the struggles.