May 25, 2013

Dwyane Wade: “I Wasn’t Going to Cleveland”

July 23, 2010 by 41 Comments

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade made an appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night, introduced to the crowd as “possibly the greatest general manager of all time.” 

The visit focused almost solely on the last month of free agency movement in which Wade gave all of the credit to Pat Riley for orchestrating arguably the biggest coup in the history of professional sports.

Wade himself claimed that he is catching up to Gloria Estefan in terms of popularity in Miami and did not count out living with his new teammates.  When asked about Chris Bosh possibly being linked to Cleveland prior to he and LeBron James taking off for “South Beach,” Kimmel asked Wade if he would have considered playing with the two other All-Stars in Cleveland.

“No,” Wade quickly replied.  “I wasn’t going to Cleveland.”

The response drew a laughter from the Los Angeles-based crowd, obviously because Cleveland is such a dreadful place to play basketball for six months of the year.  Just ask Joakim Noah.

The full appearance in video form is after the jump.  Have at it, folks.

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  • Lyon

    Well, I hate him even more now. Can’t wait to watch him flop his way to the FT line 15 times a game this year.

  • Tim

    Dwyane Wade continues to say stupid and arrogant things, big surprise. There’s no way that he is on the level of Jordan, Magic, Bird, or even Kobe, so really, I look at the Heat as having two Robins and a Batgirl (Bosh).

  • Tim

    @1, agreed about the free throws, and Wade benefits from being smaller than LeBron and bouncing farther when he runs into a bigger player. I think it’s going to be sickening next year watching Wade and LeBron shoot 30+ free throws a game.

  • Lyon

    Tim… which in turn leads to Bosh & the old guys shooting them b/c the other team will be in penalty 2 mins into a Qtr. That will get old quick.

    If we suck this year, I at least want to win our home games vs the Heat. That’s all I want.

  • mike

    apparently Wade forgot a place like cleveland was good enough for him when nobody else wanted him (Marquette – Milwaukee) but now he is above that. i hope he becomes Michael Redd part II.

  • http://www.zfcomics.com dgriff13

    oh, sure. slam cleveland. what an original thing to do! no one’s ever done that before. I, for one, am SHOCKED.

    Well, it seems all is right with the world again for the major markets… Cleveland’s teams are all awful and can be the butt of (more) jokes again. Quick, make a burning river reference!

    yeah yeah, I’m just feeding the frenzy by being sarcastic and bitter, I know.

  • ben

    On the list of players I wouldn’t feel bad about sustaining a career ending injury, DWade is #2.

  • Charlie

    Goodness gracious I’m so sick of the NBA right now. I know the NFL has recently talked about shortening the preseason (which I’m all for) but can they make an exception and actually lengthen it this year. Football needs to start ASAP.

  • Tim

    Yeah, good point, Lyon. Heat will be in the bonus a few minutes into most quarters. I really want the Cavs to beat the Heat at home too- hopefully they’ll be fired up and pull at least one out.

  • Harv 21

    As to what Wade says, could care less, and won’t listen to him pontificate in this interview. Tend to assume most of these guys in their sequestered, over-entitled little worlds think and say ignorant, arrogant, and stupid things.

    But as a jock, I’ve seen him battle his heart out and lay out, even this season when his team was garbage. I’ll keep watching Wade for that. LeBron, not so much, although physical talent is once-in-a-generation. I erroneously sensed assumed LeBron had the ego necessary to embrace the pressure and blast through the glass ceiling of this Cleveland drought. Turns out he’s just a narcisstic gene-pool winner. Wade’s a real winner.

  • Harris

    i just don’t understand what wade said that was so “arrogant.” you guys are just straight up bitter. Mike, you hope he gets injured like michael redd? what is wrong with you?

  • TSR3000

    This is such a non-story. I want summer league reviews, ideas for rebuilding, etc.

  • BrianRut4

    “I look at the Heat as having two Robins and a Batgirl (Bosh).”

    Can we go with Catwoman for Bosh?

    A month ago, I never would have dreamed I would be praying for the Knicks or Magic to trade for Chris Paul and make a title run.

    /vomits

  • MrCleaveland

    One really depressing aftermath of The Global Con betraying us and Barnes saying no to us is that people are now actually taking less money to stay out of Cleveland. They’re saying in effect, “You couldn’t pay me enough to play in Cleveland.”

    I don’t know how we get out of this bind. This is a p.r. disaster for us.

  • MrCleaveland

    Make that The Global I-Me-Myself-Con.

  • JPS3

    Good. Please don’t come to Akron for Lebron’s joke of a charity bike ride like you have done in the past either.

    Funny thing is, Cleveland is much better than any ghetto project rat hole these guys lived in for the first 18 years of their life. We’re not good enough for you… please.

  • JNeids

    Bill Simmons mailbag has produced the best idea for you-know-who’s not-so-homecoming: “Am I the only one who wants to see 20,000 Cleveland fans with fake knives stuck on their backs when Lebron arrives in his new Miami uniform next year?”

  • jj

    So the guy who voluntarily chose not go play and live in Chicago to be near his kids made a funny? I’d rather someone say I live in a bad city than say that I’m a bad dad and a poor excuse for a man. One matters more than the other.

  • stin4u

    Can we stop following the trail of bread crumbs (comments) from Dwade in the wake of LeBacle. Honestly, we need to pack up and move on…the fact that people are still getting hung up on every word spoken about Lebron is getting sad. Take a breath guys, and release the death grip on that package of sour grapes.

  • MattyFos

    I love how the cHeat invested 6 years and millions of millions of dollars into a 28 year player. He will be Shaq at the end of his contract. Overpaid and under performing.

    /brightside

  • Tim

    Yeah, Catwoman works for Bosh. Then I guess we can slide LeBron down to Batgirl, perhaps.

  • BW

    I love Wade for what he did for my alma mater’s basketball program (Marquette), but inevitably am in an even tougher spot now as he has convinced our “savior” to skip town on us and is now bashing my hometown…

  • The Other Tim

    Like I said before, as a Marquette alum, I lost my favorite NBA and my favorite college player on the same night. This only makes it worse.

  • The Other Tim

    P.S.
    Nobody asked you to come to Cleveland.

  • P. Mackin

    Wade keeps acting like he’s already won a championship by himself, conveniently forgetting how much help he had from Shaq, who was still a potent force at the time.

  • ben

    “LeBacle” is pretty funny

  • Dre

    Clevelanders…please don’t be bitter! Wade is the best guard in the league & the Heat will be pretty good for years to come.

  • typo

    What an arrogant comment from a nobody. I just unread it.

  • ELOCK77

    Stin4u, I think you’re right we all need to move on. By the way, nice picture of an forlorn D.A. Way to look forward.

  • historycat

    Ya, I’ve had enough of this for a while. There’s nothing new here. Everytime Wade opens his mouth, or a “new” quip about LeBra$$ happens it’s all the same.

    1. LeBra$$ is the follower not the leader.
    2. NBA isn’t about competition anymore, it’s about millionare friends allowing us to watch them while they entertain themselves.
    3. He never really wanted to be here, and not getting another star here just shows a) no one really respects him, b) he didn’t try very hard.

    So, ya, I’m done with these stories until the season starts, or Gilbert uses some clout to fix the league.

  • Rich

    We need to stop caring what the rest of the world thinks about our city. Would it make you feel better if Dwyane Wade said he loved Cleveland? I know it would have 0 impact on my own views of my city.

    #27, no. That would be the guy with all of the rings.

  • doug1121

    Who gives a damn what Wade thinks? It’s up to Cleveland leaders and Clevelanders themselves to turn the perceptions of what this city is around.

  • Rob

    Dwayne Wade sounds like a major douche. Comparing himself to a venerable artist such as Ms. Estefan? How smug of him to say such words! I’m afraid Miami is going to inevitably become a ghetto, displeasing city. Clearly, the Heat’s only concern is garnering a championship, regardless of how much money (and tolerance) it takes.

  • Cindy

    It’s ok. Not like he picked Chicago where his own KIDS live either. Classy guy.

  • Cindy

    BTW, Jimmy Kimmel is just one big cross-eyed poop stain .

  • Ike

    I don’t know if anyone else looks at it like this, but I think Wade’s quote is the biggest indictment of Lebron and his legacy you can possibly have.

    Wade’s basically saying “Yeah, you’re the reigning 2x MVP but I’m not coming to you, you can come here if you want.” And Lebron came running.

    Legacy irreparably fractured..

  • MrCleaveland

    Wade = arrogant alpha dog

    James = his pretty, subservient, toady beta be-otch

  • historycat

    @36,

    Funny, how you describe LeBra$$ is the same way I describe my ex.

  • JM

    Wade had Shaq, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker. Ridiculous team, no wonder they won it. Well the refs calling flop calls for Wade helped. I cannot wait for football so we stop talking about these idiots.

  • MattyFos

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-paulfuture072310

    I didn’t know where else to post this write-up by Wojo. But it seems like #6′s people got their grubby little fingers all over Chris Paul’s career too.

  • BuckeyeChief

    I’m over it. My response to the whole thing? Screw the NBA. I’m done watching what will become 10 great teams and a bunch of farm teams for them. As far as LBJ, DWade and co., screw ‘em, bitterness will get me nowhere, so ignoring seems like the better option.
    I’m also getting really disgusted with the whole “Ohio Sucks” attitude of the Country…let’s dog Cleveland, bash Ohio State, the river is burning, we’re all a bunch of hicks, hahaha. FTW. At some point, it gets old.
    What should happen: everyone buy tickets to the game, don’t show up, introduce James being from Miami, retire his number as soon as possible, and move on.

    And DON’T forget how you feel right now. When he eventually reaches the stage of his career where Shaq is at right now, let him go elsewhere to play out the string of his career. Don’t let him pull an Iverson.
    We gotta move on.