“Getting my nails painted since 2007”: Dwyane Wade credits Chicago roots & dad’s influence on style obsession

Since retiring from the NBA, Dwyane Wade has pursued another passion. He's always seen with a notable outfit on as he continues to leave his mark on the world of fashion.

One of Wade's fashion choices that has caught a lot of attention is his painted nails. Earlier this year, he was the victim of jokes after being called out during the Miami Heat's bobblhead night for him. Wade was seen holding his bobblehead with nails painted the teams primary colors.

During a recent interview, Dwyane Wade touched on his sense of style. He said that painted nails is nothing new for him, as he was doing it during the height of his NBA career as wel.

I’ve been getting my nails painted since 2007,” he says.

Wade later detailed how his father was a big inspiration for him in the world of fashion. He and his uncles were very well kept, including their style and grooming habits.

“My father has always been a man who would take care of himself. My uncles took care of themselves. I always knew that’s what I wanted to do: I wanted to be one of them sharp-dressed men who smelled good, who stayed clean-shaved, and all that.”

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Dwyane Wade had an important rule when it came to his style

While Dwyane Wade is far more involved in fashion now, it was still an interest to him during his playing days. Like most NBA players now, he liked to pull up to big games in a noteworthy outfit.

Wade was know to be a well dressed player, but he followed a certain rule when picking his outfits: his play should always do more talking than what he wore to the arena.

“You don’t want your outfit to be louder than your game,” he says.

Looking at his resume, it would have been tough for Wade's clothes to every do more talking than his game. For most of his career, he was one of the top shooting guards in the NBA.

Wade played in the league for 16 years, almost all of them with the Miami Heat. Towards the end of his playing days, he also had short stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.

With Miami, Wade helped deliver the franchise three championships. The first came in 2006 at the age of 24. Alongside Shaquille O'Neal, the Heat went on to win the title over the Dallas Mavericks. Wade took home the Finals MVP honors in the series.

The next two came in the 2010s when playing alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh. They went back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 before LeBron departed to return to Cleveland.

Dwyane Wade ended his career with averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists. His other accolades include being a 13-time All-Star, eight time All-NBA and one-time scoring champion. Wade was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.