NBA legend Dwyane Wade feels the love in first-ever visit to the PH

MANILA – Hours since his arrival in Manila, three-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade has already felt the love and warmth of the Filipino basketball community.  

Wade is in the Philippines for a two-day visit for the TADHANA: Make Your Own Way Manila Tour for Li-Ning Philippines, presented by Toby’s Sports. 

Back in 2017, a fan even replied to Wade on X (formerly Twitter) asking him when he will come visit the Philippines, which has a huge fanbase for him and the Miami Heat. 

Nine years later, Wade is experiencing firsthand the Filipino love during his visit, something he said has been a long time coming. 

“I’ve just felt love. You know, everybody back home, you know, it’s a lot of energy back home too. And everyone’s reaching out to me and they’re like, How is it? How is it? I’m just like, just like, only four letter word. It’s just love. And I felt that,” Wade said at the media fireside on Tuesday at the Shangri-La The Fort in Bonifacio Global City. 

The NBA legend shared he was immediately greeted by the passion and affection of Filipinos upon stepping off the plane, giving him a taste of the basketball culture and community he’s been longing to experience. 

“As soon as we landed, everybody that was in first class and business class was waiting for me outside of the plane to take videos and photos. And it started right away,” he added. 

The warm Filipino welcome left Wade with an unusual mix of excitement and anticipation as he finally arrived in a country he had been eager to visit for years. 

“I’m not nervous, it’s not anxiety. But I have this feeling in my body right now where I actually have a little, like, a little shakes a little bit because it’s like this exciting kind of feeling that I have,” he said. 

For the three-time NBA champion, the trip to Manila was about more than meeting fans or experiencing the country’s passion for basketball. It’s also an opportunity to connect with a community that shares his love for the game that changed his life. 

“This is a place that I’ve been wanting to visit for a very long time. And it’s because of everything that I heard. About the community here, about the culture here, and about the love of the sport that I fell in love with,” Wade shared. 

NBA legend Dwyane Wade during his first visit to the Philippines, October 13, 2026 at Shangri-La The Fort in Bonifacio Global City. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN NewsThe Hall of Famer owes a lot of who he is now to basketball, which helped open doors for him to improve his family’s life and take him from the inner city of Chicago to parts of the world.  

Wade also sees his visit as a way to connect with the youth, particularly the way children experience and embrace the game. 

Even if he’s been away from the game for seven years, Wade said his first-ever visit to Manila had to be rooted in basketball, reflecting his deep appreciation for the sport. 

“I know some connectivity here through that. The kids and through their eyes,” the three-time NBA champion said. 

“And so I’ve been wanting to come here, and I didn’t want to come here unless it was about basketball,” he added. 

Wade highlighted how the early part of his visit to Manila already showed how basketball transcends just the sport, but it has the ability to connect people from all walks of life. 

“It [basketball] just allows us to communicate. You know, and I always say, like, basketball is the universal language. I don’t need to know a lot about you. We may not be able to speak the same language, but we communicate through the love of basketball. And, you know, it’s the one thing that we push so much because we know, you know, all the things that basketball can provide for you,” Wade added. 

For a country where basketball is part of everyday life, Wade’s arrival offered another reminder of the game’s ability to forge connections between an NBA icon and fans thousands of miles from home. 

And if his first moments in Manila were any indication, Wade already felt the connection which could be summed in just four letters. 

Wade will have a chance to connect with Filipinos in the fan fest on Tuesday afternoon at the BGC Ampitheather in Bonifacio Global City. 

The NBA legend will also pass on his knowledge to the next generation of talent along with renowned basketball trainer Chris Johnson in the Wade Academy Future Stars Clinic on Wednesday.