Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade is blessing us with a video capturing the tumultuous path to his 2013 NBA Championship victory.
The short film’s title, “D. Wade’s Journey to 3” is a play on his jersey number and the number of c’hips the future Hall of Fame guard has won in a decade of high-flying thrills, champagne baths and constant humiliation of opposing guards.
Last season’s grind was probably the most difficult for Wade, who battled injuries, age and doubts that he could still be that co-assassin to King James.
The injuries obviously affected Wade’s game, but he never made excuses. He dealt with the media scrutiny and criticism throughout a grueling playoffs and came through with 23 points and 10 boards in a Game 7 win over a bully-bread Indiana Pacers squad that pushed Miami to the limit.
The video features Wade explaining how he battled through those tough circumstances, along with some never-before-seen footage of his workouts, the Heat’s Game 7 victory celebration and the ensuing parade in Miami.
One of the video’s doper scenes was filmed before the evening of Game 1 of the Finals, when James and Wade laced up in boxing gloves for a sparring session and worked out pulling heavy sleds and tossing medicine balls. Wade motivated himself by screaming, “I need three.”
At the end of that session, the “Untouchable Two” are sprawled on the floor, gasping for air and covered in sweat, and LBJ says: “Road to the championship, man.”
These cats have made pimpin’ the NBA look easy since forming in 2010 with the intentions of igniting a South Beach Dynasty. The film, set to be released next week on Wade’s website, is a highly-anticipated glimpse into the grind of a supreme athlete, and the sacrifices, unselfishness and persistence, needed to reach the Mt. Rushmore of any profession.
