Letter inspires new Dwyane Wade Converse campaign
A love letter to basketball that Heat guard Dwyane Wade penned last summer inspired this year’s Converse ad campaign, called “From Robbins, Illinois.”
Wade wrote the little note as he was recovering from surgery, which reminded him of the last time he wasn’t playing basketball: 2000-01, his first year at Marquette when he had to sit out.
“I did everything in my power to take you with me, but you didn’t wanna go,” Wade’s note says. “You said I needed to become a man and that I counted on you way too much … so you left me – feeling unsure, unloved and confused.”
The ad for Wade’s newest shoe, the Wade 3, was shot last month at AmericanAirlines Arena and will begin airing Sunday, including during the Dolphins-New York Giants game from London. It shows Wade alone at the arena pretending to play basketball, walking up the arena steps to a broadcast booth, flipping on the microphone and announcing a line from his letter: “From Robbins, Illinois, 6 foot 4 Guard … Dwyane Wade.”
The shoe, which costs $100, goes on sale Nov. 3, natch. It’s signature Wade with 33 triangles, including the spine of triangles on the shoe’s heel and along its sole.
Here's the text of Wade's letter:
In the summer of 2000-2001, high school had ended and it was time for college. I did everything in my power to take you with me, but you didn't wanna go. You said I needed to become a man and that I counted on you way too much...so you left me - feeling unsure, unloved and confused. How could you not love me anymore?
You’ve had my heart since I first laid eyes on you. I woke up to the thought of you and went to sleep with my heart with you. You completed me and now you was leaving me. How? How could you? You left me with nothing to do...no one to turn to...You help mold me into the man that I am today. You were the one that understood me - but I knew deep down inside you were gonna come back to me.
So I practiced on ways that I could love you more, and for you to never leave me again. And then 2001-2002 came...you said the words that I've always dreamed of hearing...
“From Robbins, Illinois, 6 foot 4 Guard … Dwyane Wade.”
And we fell in love all over again...To my first love...The Game of Basketball....I love you...
Comments
well 100 dollars for a shoe it is expensive but this is a signature shoe... the lebrons cost 140 dollars the kobes 130 so the wade is not that expensive...
Posted by: ricardo | August 11, 2008 9:25 PM
dwyane your my hero buddy
http://www.vintagesportscardmemorabilia.com
Posted by: Eddie | July 7, 2008 6:57 PM
i really love this commercial...it's something different and i don't think that wade is makin the prices for his shoe! It's converse not Wade! listen to this wonderfull words from this guy...how could you talk about the price of the shoes...he is just telling us how much he loves the game of basketball...and i believe that dwyane really loves basketball and that this isn't just a poem for a commercial! sorry for my bad english i'm from germany ;)
Posted by: Marius | January 10, 2008 7:20 PM
well im antonio and i am here 2 say dwayne wade is a completyl diffrent person from everyone in the NBA i never in my life heard a man say how much he love basketball to tel the truth i love basketball just as wade i think about it every minute and to hear wade say taht is a good feeling for me and he is my favorite player he was always my favorite player since his sophmore year when i started watching how great he was thank u Mr.wade
Posted by: Antonio Ivery | January 9, 2008 3:21 PM
you think Wade's passion for basketball is different to anyone else in the NBA? .. and how does the price of a shoe guarantee a championship; 100 dollars is too much
Posted by: Tim | November 3, 2007 6:45 AM
u all are dumb. All u took from the article was "the shoes cost a hundred dollars". The article is about a man's intense passion for basketball. A drive that will propel him past his injuries and back to greatness. He single handedly won us a championship. If a hundred dollars guaranteed a championship... I'd do it.
Posted by: mike | October 31, 2007 9:03 PM
To everyone complaining about the price of tennis shoes endorsed by athletes. Remember that u are the very reliable suckers these companies depend on for their revenue. without u their would not be one single pair of 100.00 shoes!!!
Posted by: df26 | October 30, 2007 8:50 AM
Think about the 100 dollar price from the business standpoint. You are buying a product that you are going to use every single day for at least 3 months. Your clothes you only wear your one nice clothes that aren't as expensive, don't get as much use as a pair of shoes. The business has to wait 3 months just to hope that the consumer decides to buy from them again. So if everyone goes out and buys the shoes right when they come out, then the company makes no money for 3 months. So you want a company to survive on 40 dollars a shoe?
Posted by: Doleac | October 29, 2007 12:04 PM
Before you guys get down on Wade and his shoe, go look at what LeBron, Jordan and other players shoes cost and you will find that Wade's shoe is a bargain.
Posted by: Heater | October 27, 2007 11:43 AM
I agree SamyD, $100.00 for a pair of sneakers is nuts! Unfortunately this is the world we live in today. Where sneakers cost more than the rest of the wardrobe put together.
Posted by: Canes02 | October 27, 2007 8:47 AM
I like Dwayne, but this is dumb.
$100.00 for a pair of shoes is obsurd, I am sorry this just does'nt seem right. It was'nt right 10 years ago when I was a kid, and its not right now.
Posted by: SamyD | October 27, 2007 8:33 AM