“Lost $50,000 Within Two Hours”: Dwyane Wade Recalls How Rajon Rondo Once Schooled Him and Jimmy Butler

NBA stars love to gamble. They engage in a lot of bet-making within themselves and the stakes can surge real quick! Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade recently revealed how he and Jimmy Butler lost a fortune against Rajon Rondo.

Dwyane Wade appeared on the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast recently where he spoke for an entire segment about NBA players gambling. “These guys have made a lot of money from the game of basketball… So when you’re gambling on the plane, it is a different level of gambling,” mentioned Wade. 

Wade added that he used to often play Bourre and Guts when gambling with his Heat teammates. “These games start off very friendly. Hey $20 in the pot everybody put in. Hey $100 in the pot, hey $200, it just goes,” he stated. 

However, things can get wild pretty quick when there are veterans involved. Wade listed Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis as fierce gambles who would often strip fortunes from other players at the table. They even invented a rule that losers should pay up within 48 hours! 

Wade detailed how the gambling took a huge toll on him at the time and joked about the craze NBA players have for it. “It is the worst team camaraderie I’ve ever been a part of… It was like we were in a gang… One year, I literally lost like too much straight,” he said. The 3x NBA champ added that the most he’s seen someone lose during a trip was $100K.

How Rajon Rondo humbled Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler in gambling

Dwyane Wade left Miami in 2016 and moved to Chicago to play for a year in the Windy City. The Hall of Famer enjoyed the company of Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo during his time with the Bulls, but only basketball-wise! Rondo was referred to by Wade as a genius gambler and that he was too smart to play. Butler never gambled but joined Wade and Rondo on a two-week road trip, unfortunately. 

Wade said, “Rondo is probably one of those guys that can count all the cards. He shouldn’t play, he’s too smart. So we were gambling with them and Jimmy said, ‘D, how much money are you going to bring?’”

Wade had $50,000 to spare, and he had hoped the money would last the entire trip. Alas, disaster struck and Butler was involved too. “I lost $50,000 within two hours on the plane ride. We didn’t even get to the city we were going to. And you know who else lost it? Jimmy Butler lost as well,” exclaimed Wade. “So we was like, ‘Well, thank you, guys. Hope you guys all enjoyed us for the year. We are gonna go over here and sit in our seats.”

It is certainly intriguing to know how much NBA players shell out on gambling activities. Moreover, one can’t help but crack a laugh over Rondo’s roasting of Butler and Wade!