Dwyane Wade shares what he's learned as a broadcaster ahead of NBA on Prime Gig
The Basketball Hall of Famer will serve as an in-game and studio analyst when Prime Video launches its inaugural season of NBA coverage in October. He joins a roster of analysts for NBA on Prime that also includes his former Miami Heat teammate Udonis Haslem; fellow Basketball Hall of Famers Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki; and women's basketball legend Candace Parker, whom he refers to in a TODAY.com interview as his 'sister.'
'When you retire, you're not a part of a team anymore. You're not in a locker room like that anymore. So it'd be good,' he says of his role on the NBA on Prime crew.
Wade looks forward to engaging in conversations on air with other former players whom he's faced on the court and those who have 'been in the same battle' as competitors in the NBA. The three-time NBA champion is also eager to announce games courtside, as he did at the 2024 Paris Olympics for NBC.
'I like just the natural reaction, being able to be the mind of the listeners, in a sense, being able to bring them to the game with understanding what they're about to watch or what they're watching,' he explains.
'I had a great time doing that with Noah Eagle in the Olympics, and so I want to continue that as well. So those things excite me.'
Wade called U.S. men's basketball games at the Paris Olympics alongside Eagle, the son of popular veteran sportscaster Ian Eagle, who's been named one of NBA on Prime's play-by-play announcers. The recent TODAY with Jenna & Friends guest co-host, who previously served as a studio analyst for TNT before his work at the Olympics, praises Noah Eagle as a broadcast partner, saying he 'carried us.'
He adds that there were lessons he learned from his experience at the Olympics that he can take with him into his new gig with Prime Video.
'I didn't know when I first sat down next to Noah, I didn't understand how to bring what's happening to light in 15 seconds in these sound bites, not overtalking, not giving too much, not talking over,' he says. 'We could talk a lot of basketball talk sometimes, and the fans probably don't understand what that means because we're talking about things that's locker room stuff. And so, kind of making it in a way where everyone can understand it.'
Wade also emphasizes the 'power of silence': allowing viewers to hear and absorb the sounds of the game and the crowd without commentators' chatter to distract them.
Similar to other players turned analysts, Wade's approach to the job is simple.
'People want to hear the way that you see the game and how you play the game, how you prepare for the game. Give them stories. Give them these little insights that they would love to have. And so, just trying to find these moments to be able to give them that locker room insight, give them that road-trip insight, give them that in-the-huddle insight.'
Prime Video will kick off the first season of its 11-year deal with the NBA on Oct. 24 with an opening-week doubleheader.
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