Over a decade in the league together and the bond still continues. Udonis Haslem is not having anything against Dwyane Wade. It’s no secret that The Flash has often faced criticism for his one fashion choice, an expression — painting his nails. “At 42, I am secure in who I am as a man…,” he once said in an interview with Esquire, declaring he pays no heed to what people say. But that hasn’t pulled a stop of the trolls. 

The whole thing — trolls vs D-Wade — once again caught some spark after the 3x NBA champ dared fans to call out Noah Lyles. The 27-year-old track athlete secured gold for the USA at the Paris Olympics. Notably, The Olympic Games’ X Page shared Noah Lyles’ photo highlighting his achievement. “And he got his nails painted… Say something…” Wade wrote, re-sharing the post. The post has had several social media users criticizing D-Wade yet again. 

Just in time drops the video of Haslem backing his friend over painting his nails.

On the OGs podcast, when speaking about people hating on Wade for his choice of expression, the 44-year-old highlighted the trendsetter the Miami Heat icon has been. “He’s always not giving a f*ck… Always been willing to push the odds a little bit,” UD said. And his opinion is justified as Wade has had an age-old love for fashion, as evident from the launch of his yearly A Night on the Run Wade event, in 2022 and his appearance as the New York Men’s Fashion Week ambassador.

But more importantly, aside from being a fashion choice, nail paint is something Wade loves as a part of his self-care routine and a way to connect with his daughter.“One of my favorite things to do when it comes to this is actually sitting down with my daughter and getting my nails painted and paint hers. That’s the time that we get to connect…” Wade said in an interview on CBS Mornings.

And Haslem sees this as a hundred percent valid approach toward a father-daughter bond. “He isn’t doing nothing wrong by supporting his kids,” UD said. He fails to understand a netizen’s issue with a father sitting at home painting his nails with his daughters. UD posed a rhetorical question of “if that’s not how one spends time with his daughters and bonds.”

Haslem believes Dwyane Wade is just ensuring his daughters get all the love and support from him, no matter what. “… And we criticize that. Stop that. That’s hating. Stop that sucker a**,” he added. Meanwhile, D-Wade shared the podcast clip featuring the entire discussion and appreciated the support from his former teammate. “Key word… Always not giving a **** [salute emoji] My guys!” he captioned the IG story.

Udonis Haslem shares a close bond with Dwyane Wade and his family

The two players suited up for the Heat in 15 different seasons and won 3 championships alongside each other. It is worth mentioning not only Haslem and Wade share a close bond, but UD is also the god-father of Wade’s youngest daughter, Kaavia.

“I promised her I’d always be present and say yes when her dad Dwyane Wade says no,” wrote in a social media post after becoming Kaavia’s godfather. And the former Heat star shares a great relationship with other two children of Dwyane — Zaya and Zaire — as well.

However, his bond with the youngest member of the Wade family is just adorable, as evident from UD’s jersey retirement ceremony. Haslem had Kaavia tucked in his arms, as the little one kept her eyes fixed on the jersey being raised to the rafters. So it’s clear if you are taking shots at Dwayne Wade or even at his family, you have it coming from Udonis.

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.