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Dwyane Wade officially joins TNT, makes debut on ‘Inside the NBA’ for season opener

Ryan Young
Staff writer

Dwyane Wade has officially made the jump from NBA star to TV analyst.

Wade has reached a deal to join WarnerMedia and will be part of TNT’s NBA coverage this season, the network announced on Tuesday night. Wade, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, will also help with Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the Final Four, and work with Bleacher Report as a creative director for special projects.

Dwyane Wade has found his home in the sports broadcasting world, officially joining TNT’s “Inside the NBA” on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Dwyane Wade has found his home in the sports broadcasting world, officially joining TNT’s 'Inside the NBA' on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. (AP/Kathy Willens)

Wade will work primarily with TNT as a studio analyst alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Candace Parker for the network’s Tuesday night NBA coverage.

The longtime Miami Heat star and future Hall of Famer officially made his debut on TNT’s pregame show outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Lakers-Clippers season opener on Tuesday night, too. Wade was reportedly being courted by both TNT and ESPN following his retirement earlier this year.

While the “Inside the NBA” crew is already full of stars, it’s clear that Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and O’Neal have quickly embraced their newest co-worker. Not only did the former players start comparing ring totals and give Wade crap for not wearing a tie almost instantly as he arrived at the table, but O’Neal took the opportunity to set up a two-on-two game for All-Star Weekend.

“Right now, this is my new family,” Wade said. “This is my new brotherhood. I’m moving on from the [NBA].”

Naturally, they had a bit of fun on social media after Wade’s arrival, too.

Wade spent 16 seasons in the league, all but two of which were entirely with the Heat. The 13-time All Star averaged 22 points per game throughout his career and has three NBA titles under his belt — two of which he won with LeBron James and Chris Bosh as “The Big Three,” something he discussed at the table on Tuesday night.

“When myself, LeBron and Chris decided to play together, the words that came out of my mouth in our meeting was ‘player empowerment,’” Wade said. “And just to see player empowerment take on like it is right now in 2019, that’s what was going on in 2010 in that room when we decided to play together.”

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