Miami HEAT’s Post

Transcript

Uh. What up, What up, What up, what up, what up? Y'all look at this? Y'all got videos, photos? This is crazy. I. I didn't really prepare a lot for this moment. Actually. I got a book up here. It was only a few things in here. And. I wanted to, I wanted to feel this. You know, life is so life goes by so fast. And it's very rare that we get to feel things because we always off. To the next thing. And so I didn't prepare much because I just wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it. That's crazy. I can't believe that. Who is that guy? Be joyful. In hope. Patient in affliction. And faithful in prayer. None of this happens. Without the person I call the big guy. And this is my God. And so I want to thank my God for this moment first and foremost before I get going. I've just been thinking about. Like what I'm gonna say I've ridden so many speeches. I thanked everybody as many times as I can. I'll come over cool phrases and cool words to express these different moments. And I didn't have it for this one. I couldn't think of anything because this is out of body. This is nothing that you can dream of. This is nothing I ever thought I would experience. I didn't play for this. I didn't pick up the basketball for this. I picked up the basketball to change my families. Life. My dad put the basketball in my hand. And I kept going because I wanted to change my family's lives. And I know it's so many of you out here. That are having that same dream. Daily that is waking up and walking in that same air of I want to be the first. I want to do these things. I want to make my mom and my dad proud. I want to one day make my kids proud. I want to one day make my wife proud with all the things is we all. All of us have similar thoughts. And if you're lucky enough, you're blessed enough you have similar experiences. And I I I. I can't make I can't write this script any better. I have a production company and we ain't, we ain't done this. We ain't been able to write this script. Being drafted here. I don't know nothing about Miami. Actually, when I came in for my workout, it was night time. I didn't get a chance to see nothing. I saw the gym and I saw a plane out of here. And then I got drafted here. And the first thing I remember. Is walking in. Well, after they sent the PJ for me. Thank you guys for that. I didn't never been on the PJ before. That was that was my first time, but walking in and getting and meeting Pat Riley. That was crazy. I don't think y'all know how cool pad is to. To us in the basketball world, and sorry Chris, but black women love Pat Riley so. My whole family loves him, Pat. And I got to walk in here and I got to meet that guy, that man. And the first thing he bought me was the playbook. And it was a thick *** playbook. And I. I'm a Hooper, so as much as we were celebrating, all I could think about is I gotta learn this playbook. And I remember. After that press conference photo with my son and Pat together and. Talking about being the 1st, the 5th pick and it was on this on this team. I remember going back to my hotel at the Mandarin Oriental. And I remember once my family, everyone went to sleep, my sister, everyone was there. I remember sitting there thinking to myself, I'm 21 years old, I'm from the hood. Like you'd said, I got 12 cavities. Couple root canals needed in there. I'm rough around the edges, as they would say. But I remember sitting on their balcony and I remember thinking to myself. Well. It's all on you now, kid. They didn't draft you just to make the roster. He dropped you 5th. They dropped you here to change the organization. We were 25 win team before I was drafted. And so I took that upon myself that day. To say I was gonna do everything in my power. To make sure that the people who continue to believe in me and believed in me. That I can. I could pay them back on that. And so the moves and the decisions over my career to play with other guys and sacrifice whatever y'all think I sacrificed. What's the pay them back for? That was to pay you guys back for that. You guys embraced me, Miami. I'm a kid from the inner city of Chicago. I came here not knowing anything about this culture. I still don't speak a lot of Spanish. I dare so to speak now when I came here. And you guys embrace me. And I felt the home here right away. And that's not that just doesn't happen when you sit in that draft room and you don't know where you gonna go. You know where your family gonna live and to come here and to get embraced right away. All I wanted to do was make sure that I give back that same feeling. And so I hope I've given that back. I wanted the luckiest man in the world. Not because people don't say no to me, because I get a lot of knows, trust and believe. But people believe in me. And I think that's the thing right there, man. When you're growing up, you're young. People don't believe in you, don't believe in your dreams. Think about it, told somebody, hey, my dream is to go to NBA, win three NBA championships, have 13 All Star appearances, played with some of the greatest players ever, have a statue one day being a Hall of Fame, have George retirement, travel the world. You think somebody was going to tell me that that was going to happen? No one is gonna just believe in your dream unless they see you working towards that dream and that belief. And so. The reason that you Donuts and before I get into a fight with him, you did because if all say you did and I say it's government, we gonna get this going to be problems. The reason you did can say that this is my city. A person who's from here who went to college here. Who did it? Who's won 3 championships here? Who spent his entire life besides that one year going overseas to go prove himself and show everybody who he was? The reason he can say that is because he's seen the work. And the work is the reason that we're here. We're not here because the Miami Heat organization, like me. We're here because we're champions. You don't get this unless you win. You understand that? You guys are winners, The city is a winner, the state is a winner. We won championships y'all. And so the work that was put in behind the scenes when the doors was closed. With some of the hardest things that we've ever done. To believe. And so I'm one of the luckiest, one of the lucky ones because I had an organization that I was drafted to. I had coaches on the sideline. I had players, not all of them. Some of them got in here and got out of here. They won the coach. They want a part of the culture. They didn't represent it right. But I have people who believed in me. And they believe that I can lead us. And so because of that belief. I gave everything that I had to the game. And that's why I walked away six years ago feeling complete. Because I gave it all. So before I get to the end of this, for all the young kids out there that are like little Dwayne. That is growing up. And at risk communities growing up poor. Growing up with nobody believing in them. Feeling like no one sees you. Feeling like your voice is not heard. You can accomplish. Anything in life. It starts with you. It ends with you. But in between you and you. Is going to be the people that's going to help you along that journey. And that's why I'm standing up here, because I believe in me and I understood it was about me. But I had to open up and allow other people. To help me. Get here. Like that guy? And a lot of other guys. So. I wanna end with these words, man. As athletes, we all are. Is microphones putting our faces everyday? About a lot of things, but one word that comes around a lot is legacy. Media asks a lot. What is Legacy? What do you want your legacy to be? What is it gonna be when you're done? What will it be? The Godfather himself? From Pat Riley. And these are words and actions that Zoe. You did. Myself. And now bam. Have hail? And we'll continue to hold. Legacy. I don't have a vision. Of what my legacy is. You have to develop a philosophy. It's an image. Of a desired state. That you want to get to. A house divided against itself will not stand. Y'all hear that? Y'all hear that? Current Miami Heat players y'all hear that? A house divided against itself will not stand. You either end. Or you out. You don't merely. Wanna be considered? The best of the best. You want to be considered. The only ones who do what you do. You wanna make sure that one day. You will leave some footprints. And I think that legacy. Is what it's all about. You wanna leave something behind? That people can follow. And that people can hold on to. So to my kids. Tell my wife. To my mother. To my father. My sisters. My brothers. My aunts, my uncles, my cousins and my nephews. My nieces. My friends. My business partners. My coaches. And to the fans. To Heat Nation. Most importantly to Wade County. Thank you all. For following. And I believe I've gave you guys something set in stone to hold on to. This is my house. I'm out. Thank you guys.