Dwyane Wade still has not decided if he will continue his NBA career, but he’s working hard to make sure his post-NBA career is set.
The 36-year-old guard announced a lifetime contract extension with Chinese apparel company Li-Ning, which he’s represented since 2012, yesterday during an event in Beijing to unveil his new Way of Wade 7 shoe.
Financial terms were not announced, but the contract calls for him to increase his presence at developmental camps and clinics in China and around the world. “This was something I needed to do from the standpoint of building something,” Wade said in a phone interview, per the Associated Press. “That’s what I set out to do. This word we all talk about, legacy, I tried to set out to build a legacy for myself and my family. And after six years of that, it’s cool to be here today.”
Whether he suits up in the new kicks for the Heat or another NBA team remains to be seen.
He said he’ll turn his attention to his NBA career when he returns from China. Fellow free agent and Heat teammate Udonis Haslem is traveling with Wade in China.
Wade began last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before he was dealt to the Heat in February for a protected 2024 second-round draft pick. He wound up averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in a combined 67 games for Cleveland and Miami in 2017-18. In the postseason series against Philadelphia, Wade averaged 18 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Wade holds career marks of 22.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. (Field Level Media/Reuters)
