6. Jazz Part-Owner Dwyane Wade
Oct 14, 2021, 4:53 PM
Utah Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz open their season on October 20, just six days from today. With the clock ticking, we look at 50 things for Jazz fans to be excited about leading up to the 2021-22 NBA season. Coming in at number six, Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade.
Jazz Part-Owner Dwyane Wade
In April the Jazz caused a major stir when they announced that Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade had purchased a minority share of the team.
While the news caught most everyone off guard at the time, Wade’s participation in the team’s operation and active efforts in the state of Utah have been even more surprising.
Unlike some celebrity owners who purchase a team only to make occasional appearances sitting courtside at premier games, Wade has been instrumental in the franchise and community after buying a percentage of the team.
Our countdown of the top 50 reasons to be excited for the 2021-22 @utahjazz season. #TakeNote https://t.co/X45AS6m2de
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 8, 2021
Not only is the guard regularly seen sitting courtside with majority owner and friend Ryan Smith, but Wade has also been seen attending team practices and training camp since joining the organization.
To top it off, it seems the future Hall of Famer can’t step out of his house without proudly showing off his allegiance to Jazz, whether that’s on the golf course, at NFL games, or when speaking at community events.
He’s also taken an active role in helping the team on the floor, offering players and coaches on the roster advice on the game when asked.
“He’s done it for 15 or 16 years, so what better person to ask than him,” Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell said about having Wade near the floor. “It’s great to have a guy like that, I can text or call him or he will be right there courtside.”
Wade has also dramatically altered the perspective of the state itself since arriving, and it seems his impact has only just begun.
In an interview with GQ, Dwyane Wade discussed his @utahjazz ownership, his relationship with Ryan Smith and Donovan Mitchell, and opening the state to the African American community.
"Hopefully, I can shed a different light on the city."#takenote https://t.co/wu6IQCVeSi
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 8, 2021
After purchasing a share of the team, the former guard said he was working on incorporating more diversity into the state’s makeup.
“We have, like, two percent African Americans in Utah, right?” Wade told GQ Magazine. “So, there’s beauty in the city and hopefully more doors are opening and more of us can experience it. Hopefully, I can shed a different light on the city and this light on our community and we can start bridging the gap. And that’s all it is: a big gap. And it needs to be bridged.”
As a father of a daughter in the LGBTQ+ community, Wade has also been active with Encircle, a non-profit organization that strives to create family and youth resource centers aimed at providing a safe space for families in the state.
Though Wade has been a part-owner of the Jazz organization for less than a year, his impact has already been felt across the state. How Wade continues to change the perspective on the team is without question one of the top storylines of the season heading into opening night.
