While Dwyane Wade will go down as one of the best guards in NBA history, his charisma and personality off the court also helped establish his legacy. Wade has always been one of the most stand-up players in the league and has been recognized for it.
The Heat legend was recently given the Magic Johnson Award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award honors players who showcase great cooperation in dealing with the media and public.
Media relationships with players have deteriorated in recent years due to faults of both sides. The attention-seeking aspect of media has created a lot of negative effects for players. Meanwhile, players have reacted to this attention by actively calling out every member of the media or ignoring them altogether.
It's important for players to follow Wade's example of interacting with the media. He was always cooperative and helpful, continuing to foster a positive relationship that both sides hope for.
Previous winners of the award include Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and ironically, Kevin Durant (2011). The importance of this award should be valued by the players while the media should continue to try to improve their news coverage. Hopefully both sides can keep working out their differences to provide content that fans enjoy.