Dwyane Wade Hits Game Winner While Wearing Shoes To Honor Shooting Victim

On Tuesday night Miami Heat point guard Dwyane Wade wore a pair of shoes dedicated to Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 victims who lost their lives when a 19-year-old former student opened fire inside  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Wade not only honored Oliver with his choice of shoes but put on a show for the home-town fans as he hit the game-winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Wade finished the game with a season-high 27 points, scoring 15 of the last 17 points for the Heat. The 76ers led for most of the second half, but Wade was not going to let the Heat fall at home on a night when he was honoring Oliver. Wade took over the game late and had enough faith in his ability to win the game, that he intentionally fouled Ben Simmons with the scored tied and just 29 seconds left. Simmons missed one of his two free throws, setting up Wade to hit the go-ahead shot with just 5.9 seconds left, who screamed "this is my house" as he ran back down the court. 

Joaquin Oliver was a huge fan of the Heat and was buried in a Dwayne Wade jersey. Wade said he wants to meet with Oliver's family to help them through this tough time. 

“You really can’t put that in words. You hurt for the family,” Wade told reporters after the game. “If you ever get the opportunity to speak to them, you just try to hope the time where he was alive that you were able to bring some type of joy to his life and something memorable. A story that his family and you guys can talk about.”

He said it was "mind-boggling" that the family thought of him as they grieved for their son. 

“That they thought of me in that process, as something that he would have wanted, is mind-boggling,” Wade said.

After the game, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said that Wade "becomes somebody very special" when he plays in front of the home crowd.

“There’s something about Dwyane Wade when you put that Miami Heat jersey on and play in front of these fans,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He becomes somebody very special.”

Photo: Getty Images