Heat legend Dwyane Wade is set to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month in Springfield, Mass. and the three-time NBA champion has made his choice for who will present him at the ceremony.
Allen Iverson, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald revealed.
No, not LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neal, his two former All-Star running mates. It will be Iverson instead.
So why is Wade selecting a fellow Hall of Fame guard that he has no previous history of playing with? While Wade didn’t reveal the full reasoning as of yet, he did provide some hints on his personal Instagram account.
“One of the main reasons I wear number 3,” Wade said.
Wade played against Iverson a handful of times early in his career, as Iverson neared the end of his time in Philadelphia and his subsequent stint in Denver, but it’s clear that Iverson was one of Wade’s idols growing up in his pursuit of becoming a professional basketball star.
There’s one thing for certain, and it's that Wade’s induction is well deserved. He was one of the best shooting guards of his era and a key cog to three championships in Miami.
Over his 1,054 career games, Wade averaged 22.0 points, 5.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds, and is one of the best mid-range players to ever grace the NBA hardwood.
