It feels like a different era when we had Dwyane Wade the analyst. He went from the court to the TNT studio very fast, sat across his Miami Heat teammate, Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesdays, and did halftime reports for three years. It was a more media-confident D-Wade calling the Olympics games for NBC News. His style and his connections to NBA players are the biggest appeals of having Wade on the other side of the mic. So since his debut as an Olympics commentator, the former player is fielding potential offers to return to TV. At least one person is excited. The guy he left the TNT spot vacant for.

An Instagram page hyped D-Wade’s broadcaster era with a post, “WHO SHOULD HIRE D-WADE? Dwyane Wade is expected to get ‘serious looks’ from networks for broadcasting jobs after his Olympics debut. Thoughts on Wade’s performance in the Olympics?”

In came Jamal Crawford commenting, “As he should! Respect.” Is he making the moves to lure Wade back to TNT? Some commenters joked that he is. But then backtracked given TNT’s situation since losing the NBA to NBC and Amazon. If Wade wants to return to work alongside Shaq, Chuck, and Crawford, it would probably be to a reinvented general sports show beyond the NBA.

D-Wade left his first broadcasting job to focus on his multiple entrepreneurial ventures. But recently, he’s broadened his media portfolio by producing an Oscar-winning movie, launching a podcast channel, and operating ‘Translatable’ for LGBTQ+ youth with his daughter, Zaya. Then in April, NBC announced him as part of their star-studded Olympics coverage. Wade returned to the Olympics for the third time, but as a play-by-play commenter.

His commentating got some mixed reviews from viewers. But it was a big hit with most, especially when he broke out the old stories he shares with the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant. It would be a nerve-wrecking job, but D-Wade made it look so easy. And tempting for Jamal Crawford.

Jamal Crawford’s rise started from D-Wade

Crawford is a sportscasting newbie but he’s already got aspirations, possibly calling the games alongside Wade when the games come to Los Angeles. He recently reacted to Wade’s Olympic gig with, “Since it sees like they have different groups, I would love to be in the mix to call games in LA in ‘28… Speaking it into existence!!!!” 

Unlike Wade, Crawford had a slow transition from NBA retirement to broadcast. After appearing as a guest analyst on Tuesdays, Crawford became a permanent analyst on TNT Tuesdays next to Shaq and Candace Cameron during the 2023-24 season. And it started because of Dwyane Wade.

After retiring in 2019, Wade was on TNT till 2022. When he left, Turner experimented with a few guests and Crawford was becoming a frequent favorite. Now he’s got his own segment, ‘Craws’ed Up,’ and Charles Barkley named him as his potential successor.

Given the recent dire situation at Warner Bros, Crawford has hinted he’d continue at TNT for as long as they want him. And he’s sure TNT will survive without the NBA too.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.