IN PHOTOS: Dwyane Wade debuts Li-Ning Way of Wade 11s sneakers
NBA legend Dwyane Wade unveiled his latest signature sneakers, the Li-Ning Way of Wade 11s, on Sunday. The former Miami Heat superstar shared a post on Instagram debuting the shoes.
"Stepping into the next decade of @wayofwade 🔥 I present the 11s‼️" Wade wrote.
Not many NBA stars have created their own sneaker brands. The most prominent one is Michael Jordan's Air Jordan, which has a high standing among sneakerheads. With a similar vision, Dwyane Wade started his brand, "Way of Wade," in collaboration with Chinese sports giant Li-Ning in 2012.
The three-time NBA champion had left the Jordan brand the same year to partner with Li-Ning just after winning his second championship with the Miami Heat. Many considered the move questionable then as the Chinese company was not a popular brand among basketball fans back then.
With Wade and the Heat favored to repeat for the title in 2013, the idea that the Heat icon would win the championship in Li-Nings did not sound too exciting.
However, Wade is now promoting his 11th signature shoe, the Li-Ning Way of Wade 11s, with the brand. He shared an Instagram story reposting NiceKicks' post about the shoes, reflecting on the decision he took 12 years ago.
"12 years ago I made a decision which was unthinkable…" Wade wrote.
The 13-time NBA All-Star unveiled his 11th signature shoe with Li-Ning during the CBA All-Star Game. Wade was recently in China promoting his latest venture, the Wade Basketball Academy.
Dwyane Wade schools kids at Wade Basketball Academy
Though Dwyane Wade retired from the NBA three years ago, he continues to stay active on the court. One of the ways he does it is by dropping some firsthand knowledge to the next generation at his academy.
While on his recent trip to China to promote the Wade Basketball Academy, the veteran was challenged by an aspiring baller. Wade took up the challenge and partnered with his son, Zaire, to give the player some insight.
The young teen can be seen aggressively guarding Wade, trying to steal the ball from his hands. As he keeps reaching for the ball, the Miami Heat legend baits him to hit him with the behind-the-back move to leave him in the dust. He then proceeded to pass the ball to Zaire, who made a baseline cut toward the rim.
Watch the moment here:
Wade reshared a fan's video of the incident on his Instagram story.
"I'm old but he challenged me 😂," Wade wrote.
The 42-year-old was dropping wisdom to kids in his academy, just not in a conventional way.