Dwyane Wade returned to his hometown of Chicago and charged up, channeling his inner “Flash” to help his team win games. However, according to Wade, the team doesn’t want it as much as he does.
On Wednesday, Wade, alongside Jimmy Butler, left it all on the court with a combined 73 points. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls still fell short after giving up a 10-point lead in a 119-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Both ballers questioned the young team’s dedication to the game, wondering if they were as hungry as they should be.
“I’m 35 years old, man. I have three (NBA) championships. It shouldn’t hurt me more than it hurts them. They have to want it,” he said of the younger players.
Butler, also very critical of his teammates, said he doesn’t see the passion in the players.
“If you’re not (mad) after you lose every game, something’s wrong,” he said. “This is your job. This is supposed to be what you love to do. Not everybody looks at it this way. I want to play with guys who care and play hard and want to do well for this organization, that want to win games.”
In turn, a few players took to social media to respond to their teammate’s criticism. Apparently, the comments struck a nerve for some.
“Tough loss, that hurt for sure. But I play hard TO WIN every second I’m out there, and grind everyday for everything I have,” Jerian Grant wrote. “I’ve played this game since I was 4yrs old. Basketball is in my blood and means way more to me than just a paycheck.”
He continued, “The ONLY way I know how to play is to win.”
“My point is I work hard, I play hard, and I play to win for our team,” Grant wrote.
Isaiah Cannan had a few words as well, tweeting “Tough Loss!!! We Win & Lose Together #Free Sip”
The social media subliminal exchange continued as Wade took to Twitter to post a picture of Michelle Obama at Donald Trump’s Inauguration with the caption: “Mood”
Hopefully the criticism encourages the team to step it up. In the meantime, the Bulls are still one game up on the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
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