Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade has drawn some ire recently for talking the talk without walking the walk, but at least one NBA legend is taking his side.
Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson said on Saturday that Wade “doesn’t need to practice” and likened the 12-time All-Star to his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wanting to save his best for actual games, per Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago.
Magic Johnson says Dwyane Wade "doesn't need to practice". Compared Wade to Kareem with Lakers, wanting the best saved for games
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) January 29, 2017
Johnson’s comments come after this Bull called out Wade for his absences from practice. It is a fairly nuanced issue with two sides to the coin though.
On the one hand, it’s difficult to get your teammates, particularly young ones, to respect you and to listen to your message if you’re not out there leading them by example. But at the same time, Wade is 35 years old with a history of knee problems and has already paid more than his fair share of dues in his 14 seasons in the league. As such, you can see the point that Johnson, who hasn’t always had the strongest track record of hot takes, is trying to make.
