Dwyane Wade is teaming up with Noah Eagle as NBC’s broadcast team for the Summer Olympics in Paris, and I gotta say, so far so good for D-Wade. He has the unique perspective of being a former Olympian, all-time NBA great, and he isn’t afraid to get a little weird. What else could you ask for?
I’m not talking “weird” like Olympic opening ceremony blaspheming The Last Supper with drag show stars weird, although it’s somewhat adjacent to that. I’m talking about Wade referring to his old Miami Heat/Team USA running mate LeBron James via he/him pronouns.
GET OUT OF HIS WAY‼️
LeBron James is FEELING IT. #ParisOlympics
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/SrLSfseX7z
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024
“Y’all know his pronouns!”
D-Wade after Bron’s dunk 😭 pic.twitter.com/57xVLih6LO
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 28, 2024
How else could you refer to LeBron as anything other than “The King” or “HIM” or “THE GOAT” considering he’s about to enter his 22nd NBA season — plus playoffs, plus Olympics, etc. — and can still do this:
The Ascension, by James Thornhill, 1720s, 📸 by Gregory Shamus pic.twitter.com/Y47PU3dp8J
See AlsoBreakdancing Raygun, Tom Cruise's closing ceremony stunt and the most meme-able moments from the 2024 Paris OlympicsParis Olympics Memorable Moments: Simone Biles was the star but the spotlight reached many faces#analysis | everyonesanauthor— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) July 28, 2024
The Americans blew out Serbia 114-90 to tip off group play, which is no surprise. What was stunning despite their combined, known greatness was the near-perfect first-half display Kevin Durant and LeBron put on to set the tone for the American side.
Kevin Durant and LeBron James combined for a PERFECT 33 PTS in the 1H 🔥
KD: 21 PTS, 8-8 FGM
LBJ: 12 PTS, 5-5 FGMUSA leads Serbia 58-49 at halftime! 🇺🇸
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/uuohpqlu8R
— NBA (@NBA) July 28, 2024
D-Wade couldn’t help himself.
Granted, “HE HIM” or “HE IS HIM” is popular phrase among young folks when referring to God-like performance on the field/court. But the “his pronouns are” prefix sounds a little wonky. Almost like a dad trying to be cool (insert obligatory Steve Buscemi skateboard meme).
But once he opened Pandora’s Pronoun Box, he couldn’t stop, which led to some hilarious reactions from basketball X/Twitter.
Nobody:
Dwayne Wade: His pronouns are he/him
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) July 28, 2024
D Wade saying “His pronouns are HE/HIM” every time a player scores pic.twitter.com/aMEiIUjhEj
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) July 28, 2024
Dwyane Wade spamming “he/him is his pronouns” announcer call pic.twitter.com/d36KcLplXf
— 🤺 (@philfanacc) July 28, 2024
Dwayne Wade spamming the “he/him” line pic.twitter.com/fThcMf4xg3
— Joe Coyne (@JoeCoyne9) July 28, 2024
D Wade: I know LeBron personally, his pronouns are he/him🤓
D Wade: I know KD personally, his pronouns are he/him🤓 pic.twitter.com/2Uv2YHKjba— Kyrie’s Tribesman🤞🏾 (@NevaMiss24) July 28, 2024
Hey, Dwayne Wade, stop talking about pronouns. You sound like an idiot.
— Trae (@t_parker9) July 28, 2024
Next time Dwayne Wade says “I know him personally his pronouns are he/him” I violate the Geneva convention. Dude has said that shit no less then 10 times
— #1 Luis Arraez Hater (@BPortisSzn) July 28, 2024
Dwayne Wade…. The He/Him jokes for the 4th time… Please pic.twitter.com/Ff8j0UJdI0
— Mack 🏁 (@ctv_mack) July 28, 2024
lmaooo queer ally Dwade with the first good pronouns joke i ever heard. “Yall know Lebron’s pronouns HE HIM”
— R.O.C. (@hardROClife) July 28, 2024
d wade said "you know lebron's pronouns?" on the NBC broadcast and i thought he was about to out him as nonbinary
— Zach Edey Fans United Kingdom 🇵🇸 (@emi_f1sher) July 28, 2024
Dwayne wade using the he him joke twice same quarter is crazy
— O’Shea Jackson Jr (@OsheaJacksonJr) July 28, 2024
Worth noting for a little context here: Wade’s daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender in 2020, leading to the NBA star creating the online community Translatable to support transgender families and children. So I guess, he has a little more latitude than your average broadcaster to scheme up a pronoun-based catchphrase.
With NBC returning to NBA coverage, I wonder if D-Wade is on a trial run of sorts to be a commentator for this coming season. Not sure what his experience was prior to the Summer Olympics, and I know some people will blast him for any passing mention of pronouns. However, I think D-Wade could bring some real insight (well, hopefully beyond “I know him”) and star power to NBC as they seek to reestablish themselves in the pro basketball space, especially since so many will be missing Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA TNT crew.
We’ll see. The task at hand is to get us through the Summer Games and hopefully be on the call for yet another Team USA gold medal.
