Chicago Bulls: Dwyane Wade Calls Himself An Underdog

Even after 13 years in the league and all that he has accomplished, Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade still considers himself an underdog: a mindset which the team too should adopt.

The Chicago Bulls snatched a superstar this offseason, bringing aboard shooting guard Dwyane Wade.

A Chicago native, Wade has built himself quite a legacy.

Having been drafted in 2003 by the Miami Heat, Wade spent 13 years in South Beach. And during that time, he racked up a number of accomplishments.

He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, behind fellow draftmates LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. He won his first championship in 2006, being awarded Finals Most Valuable Player, the fifth-youngest in NBA history to do so.

He was the league’s leading scorer in 2009, averaging 30.2 points a game. In 2010 he did the unthinkable and brought James and Chris Bosh over to Miami to form the Big Three, earning himself two more titles in 2012 and 2013.

Wade really did it all.

Twelve NBA All-Star appearances, including one NBA All-Star MVP in 2010.
Two Olympic medals: bronze in 2004 and gold in 2008.
And of course, he’s the Heat’s all-time leading scorer.

Yet somehow, at the age of 34, Wade still views himself as an underdog.

"“I was always the underdog, and it was OK because I embraced that. That just pushed me and pushed me, and even getting drafted fifth pick in the NBA I was still an underdog.”"

Many may be scratching their heads. An underdog? The guy who became the face of a franchise? Who has three championships? Who will go down as one of the best in history?

Yup.

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And how perfect is that mindset, when it comes to Wade joining the Bulls?

Chicago had a rough 2015-16. It started with former head coach Tom Thibodeau being fired, and ended with a 42-40 overall record, a record that kept them out of the postseason.

The organization had seemingly hit rock bottom, a trend that many were afraid would continue into next season.

Fears that only made sense given that the team went on to lose Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose.

But then came the light at the end of the tunnel.

First, it became clear that Jimmy Butler was sticking around. And shortly after, Rajon Rondo was signed.

The cherry on top of the cake of course though, was convincing Wade to leave Miami for the Bulls.

However, just because the organization is now in a better position than it was last year, does not mean it will immediately be smooth sailing moving forward. With a new cast comes plenty of kinks to work out, including egos to sort through.

Which is why fans should be overjoyed to hear of Wade’s underdog mindset. Because at the end of the day, that is what Chicago is right now: merely fighting their way back up to the top.