Sierra Canyon advanced to the semifinals of the California state boys basketball championship on Tuesday night with a dramatic 63-61 comeback win over Etiwanda, but Dwyane Wade wasn’t exactly stoked about it. Wade’s son Zaire plays for Sierra Canyon, and apparently he has not been playing as much as D-Wade would like.
Ziaire Williams, one of the top college recruits in the nation, hit a buzzer-beater to complete the comeback for Sierra Canyon after the Blazers trailed by 11 with fewer than three minutes remaining. The highlight of Williams’ shot was shown during the NBA on TNT postgame show, and Wade was asked if he will be at the state semifinal. Things took a very uncomfortable turn.
“I will not be there,” Wade said. “When my son ain’t playing … and I don’t want to do nothing to the coach. I won’t be there. I won’t be there but I’ll be rooting for the kids.”
Sierra Canyon, of course, is the same team that LeBron James’ son Bronny plays for. Zaire Wade is an 18-year-old senior, and head coach Andre Chevalier has obviously not been giving him as much playing time as Wade would like to see. Dwyane Wade could be frustrated with that because his son transferred to Sierra Canyon this year and is trying to impress college programs. Zaire is a three-star recruit who has drawn interest from DePaul, TCU, Rhode Island, Toledo and Miami.
The season may not have gone as planned for the Wade family after some of the exciting clips we saw when Bronny and Zaire first teamed up, but calling Chevalier out on national TV seemed a bit excessive. Even Candace Parker seemed shocked and said “I think you did just do something” when Wade said he’s afraid he’d do something to the coach if he attended a Sierra Canyon game. Even without knowing the whole story, it’s hard to believe that was the best approach Wade could have taken.
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