Dwyane Wade had quite a basketball career, and one of his milestones was being part of the ‘Redeem Team’ during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Being part of the USA team that brought back glory to the Americans, the three-time NBA champion has quite a story to share.
Looking back, this version of Team USA is considered one of the stacked rosters, which included Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and a prime Dwight Howard joining Wade.
Carrying jersey No. 9, Wade shaved his head to continue the tradition of wearing the USA uniform previously worn by Michael Jordan. The more practical reason is that he had a hard time finding a barbershop during the Olympic stint.
“This is why I shaved my head bald. One, there was no barbershop traveling with us and you don’t want anyone messing with your head. But two, when I was in high school I had a couple of moments where I went bald head and it was somebody either messing my hair up, or I was trying to channel something like MJ or something right? And every time I did it, I balled out.”
Dwyane Wade comes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a man on a mission
Coming off an NBA championship in 2005 in just his sophomore season with the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade struggled to keep his body injury free and many are casting doubt on whether he will be a shell of himself.
Named on his second Olympic stint with Team USA and aside from aiming to erase the bitter defeat in 2004, Wade wants to prove to the world that he is still not washed up and can contribute on a high level.
“I did understand that, but I was pissed because it was like a part of my never-ending story of always feeling like they don’t appreciate you,” said Wade.
Mostly came off the bench, and Wade did his damage the most, going up against second units of different international teams. Team USA went to the Gold Medal match against Spain, which featured brothers Paul Gasol and Marc Gasol along with other players like Rudy Fernandez and a young Ricky Rubio.
When everything is said and done, Wade’s last stint wearing the red, white, and blue saw him contribute 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.3 steals in eight games. He also shot 67.1% of his field goals and 47% beyond the three-point line.
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