By: Joaqui Cortez
Dwyane Wade may have walked away from the NBA, but his passion for basketball continues to bring him back to the game — this time, sharing his wisdom with the next generation of Filipino players before taking in the University of Santo Tomas-Far Eastern University showdown on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The three-time NBA champion spent Wednesday morning mentoring the 2026 Palarong Pambansa basketball champion Calabarzon alongside renowned trainer Chris Johnson at a basketball camp in Bonifacio Global City. He then headed to the collegiate matchup later in the afternoon.
Wade also joined commentators Jaime Ascalon and Jett Manuel during the second quarter to watch the UST-FEU showdown.
For Wade, mentoring aspiring players and watching the collegiate game reflected his enduring love for basketball — a passion he continues to share even after stepping away from the professional stage.
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“I love basketball. I can watch basketball anywhere, being played at any time. Today has been a great day,” Wade said during the halftime break. “We got into a gym with a lot of young individuals who want to be out here one day. They want to be in college and go beyond that.
“So, it’s a beautiful game. The game has done so much for me, and getting back to it. So today, checking out the opportunity to come here, sit here and watch a little bit of the game, that’s something I wanted to do,” the three-time NBA champion added.
The 44-year-old former NBA Finals Most Valuable Player also took the opportunity to reminisce about his collegiate years at Marquette University, where he developed the team-first mentality that carried him throughout his 16-year NBA career.
Wade urged young players to appreciate every moment of their collegiate journeys before moving on to the next stage of their careers.
“Every time I go back to Marquette, I get the chance to talk to college athletes, and I really tell them to ‘Be where your feet are. Stay here and enjoy every moment. This is the purity of the game,’” said Wade, who was a consensus first-team All-American in 2003.
“I know the game has changed a little bit, and we have all the NIL things. But when you get to the pro level, it’s just a whole different beast.”
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Wade also praised FEU’s team unity during its matchup against UST, drawing parallels between the Tamaraws’ collective effort and his own experiences at Marquette.
“Some of my greatest memories were at Marquette, when we didn’t have anything, and we were all just playing for each other. It wasn’t about the individual; it was about the team. So that unity, that’s what I watched out here, FEU. I watched them play together, and I watched them play as a unit,” the three-time NBA champion said.
The former Miami Heat star credited that same team-first mentality for helping him achieve success in the NBA, where he won three championships and reached the Finals five times. He also had success on the international stage, earning Olympic medals.
Wade then traced his selfless approach to basketball to his father, who taught him that the game was never solely about individual accomplishments.
