Zaire Wade, the 19-year-old son of Dwayne Wade, is signing an NBA G League contract with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz affiliate team.
Three years after Dwayne Wade hung up his jersey, his son Zaire is set to follow in his footsteps — on a Wade-affiliated team, no less.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Zaire Wade is kicking off his NBA career by signing a contract with the Salt Lake City Stars. The Stars are the NBA G League team affiliated with the Utah Jazz, of which the elder Wade is a part owner.
Dwayne Wade’s son Zaire Wade enters NBA world with the Salt Lake City Stars
Evaluated by 24/7 Sports recruiting analyst Josh Gershon, Wade was predicted as a “Power 5-starter” in May 2020. Here’s what Gershon saw in the younger Wade last spring.
“Athletic combo guard with good size and length. Still relatively physically immature and has plenty of room to add strength in coming years. Explosive athlete who could improve further with added strength. Best attribute is his vision; sees floor at an elite level. While vision is tremendous, basketball IQ and ball skills will need to improve to be full time point guard. Much improved shooter with range to the perimeter. Tends to make flashy play over right play at times. Has upside as versatile defender who can guard the one or two. Polarizing prospect due to inconsistency but has made major strides over last year and projects as a high major starter who could expand on that with improvement to basketball IQ and skill.”
For insight into how Zaire matches up agains the likes of his dad, here is a clip from father and son going head-to-head for fun. Zaire managed to block a shot by the three-time NBA Champion.
In a 2020 interview, Dwayne Wade told People Magazine that he was “not taking a backseat” in his son’s basketball future.
With words that add insight into the G League signing, Wade reminded his son back then that “his path just may not be the same as people around him.”
“If basketball is the ultimate goal, then I’m just trying to help him along the way, understanding there’s so many different ways to get to this goal,” Dwayne Wade says. “It’s not just one way, it’s not go through high school, be a superstar. Go into college, be a superstar. Get drafted No. 1 and now you’re there.”
With a lifelong mentor like Wade, the combo guard is expected to have a bright future among the Stars in Salt Lake City.