Dwyane Wade probably had the most insane first meeting with Michael Jordan . Rachel Nichols refused to believe the story about their first encounter was true until she heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
The Miami Heat legend said the incident happened when he returned to Chicago after the NBA Draft. Wade, his family, and friends were celebrating at a local nightclub when the most unbelievable thing happened.
"My cousin Antoine, he came up to me, and he said, 'Bro, Michael Jordan is here. And I said, 'Where is he at?' So, I'm thinking he's playing games with me. I'm like, 'Where is he at?' And he's like, 'He's outside. They won't let him in.' He's like, 'Bro, I'm not playing,'" Wade said on Nichols' Headliners podcast last year.
Security wouldn't let Mike in
At first, Dwyane refused to believe Antoine's story because, of all people, why would Jordan come to his party? And even if he did, why would security not let in the greatest basketball player of all time? But when Wade realized his cousin wasn't fooling around, he decided to check it out himself.
To his surprise, he saw Michael sitting on one of many motorcycles parked outside the club. Wade immediately ran up to Mike and asked him if he wanted to come in. The Chicago Bulls legend told him he just wanted to drop by and congratulate him for getting drafted into the NBA.
"I don't know why they won't let Mike in," Wade added. "He had 50 people with him, probably. But, yeah, he was outside, and he was on a motorcycle. And he said, 'I was coming through to show you some love. Congratulations and the whole welcome to the NBA type of thing.'"
Wade also found out why Jordan wasn't allowed to enter the club. "So we run out the door, run up front where they won't let him in. 'Why y'all won't let Jordan in?' Somebody was like, 'He wouldn't pay,'" Dwyane told Joe Vardon of The Athletic .
"The coolest experience ever"
Like many basketball stars, Wade grew up idolizing Jordan. So, having his childhood hero stop by to show him love during his Draft party was big for Dwyane. It was more special because Wade is a Chicago native.
"That was a true story," he told Nichols. "That was my first time meeting Michael Jordan, and it was the coolest experience ever. He was sitting on a motorcycle looking cool as s**t."
Dwyane and Michael reconnected in 2009 when Jordan Brand acquired the Heat star from Converse. Although D-Wade left the company for Chinese shoe giant Li-Ning a couple of years later, "His Airness" always respected him as a player.
Related: Carmelo Anthony agrees with Dwyane Wade that nobody can pass Michael Jordan: "He brought something different to the game of basketball"
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