Following his first game against the Miami Heat as a member of the Chicago Bulls, Dwyane Wade was just relieved the emotional matchup was over. What isn’t over is the media using his return to Chicago as a key angle on all Bulls stories this season.
“Chicago native Dwyane Wade sunk two critical free throws to defeat his non-hometown former team Thursday night, and one just has to be reminded that Wade, who grew up in Chicago, must have had mixed feelings,” began an article on ESPN.com. “But the fact of the matter is that while the game was in Miami, where Wade’s body resided for the first 13 seasons of his NBA career, Wade’s heart never left the Windy City.”
According to an article on Fox Sports, “Wade was clearly glad to be back in Miami, but not as glad as he was to be back in Chicago for good when he signed his contract before the season.”
Digging a little deeper, Chuck Swirsky noted Wade had that “Chicago determination about his game this evening, the kind you can only get from living there while you were young.” And when Jimmy Butler drove the lane for a score, Swirsky claimed it must have reminded Wade of the playgrounds in Chicago when he was a kid.
“Where he grew up,” Swirsky added.
