Los Angeles Lakers: Josh Hart gets game-worn shoes from Dwyane Wade
By Nick Ziegler
After the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat, Josh Hart received a special gift from Dwyane Wade.
Monday night in the Staples Center was truly a special night for all basketball fans. As Dwyane Wade’s farewell tour continues, Monday was a big game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
As one of the best franchises in the NBA in one of the most famous arenas in the world, Wade certainly wanted to have his last game in the Staples Center be a good one. With LeBron James now playing for the Lakers, this will be the final time that two share the court barring a very unlikely NBA Finals matchup.
While this was the tie-breaker in the head-to-head series between the two, this game brought back a lot of memories of the times that the two spent together in Miami. James and Wade accomplished a lot together, and as one of the best shooting guards of all-time, Wade has left his impression on a lot of young players. One of those players is Josh Hart.
Hart is one of the pieces of the young core for the Lakers, and grew up a big fan of Wade. After the game, Hart talked about the final game against Wade and what Wade meant to him. Here’s what Hart said to Matthew Moreno of LakersNation.com.
"“I mean, he was my favorite player growing up, the reason why I wear No. 3. He’s my role model. This game was crazy. I was able to match up with him a lot down the stretch in the second half. It was a dream come true.”"
In the win against Miami, Hart got to see a good amount of Hart in the game. Hart played quite well, as he totaled nine points and five rebounds. Hart always brings it on the defensive end, and squared up on Wade quite a bit.
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After the game, Wade gave Hart a special gift with his game-worn shoes.
Josh Hart asked Dwyane Wade for his game shoes tonight. Hart said he wears No. 3 in honor of Wade, his favorite player growing up. Wade wrote, “I love the way you play the game. Reminds me of me. Keep going.” pic.twitter.com/ljZ44IehXN
— Bill Oram (@billoram) December 11, 2018
This is certainly a great gift given to Hart, as it will surely be something that he cherishes forever. As a young player, being on the court with the likes of James and Wade in a game like this is a great learning moment for Hart and other members of the young core.