Basketball, 2008 Summer Olympics - Source: Getty

Dwyane Wade explained why he went bald for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Those who watched ‘The Redeem Team’ on Netflix will remember his teammate Carmelo Anthony recollecting the time the 3x NBA champion showed up with a shaved head and No. 9 on his jersey. While the entire reason behind the move was not explained in the documentary, Wade recently shared more on the move.

Speaking on his podcast, ‘The Why with Dwyane Wade’, the former Miami Heat star said he had his reasons.

“This is why I shaved my head bald. One, there was no barbershop traveling with us and you don’t want anyone messing with your head. But two, when I was in high school I had a couple of moments where I went bald head and it was somebody either messing my hair up, or I was trying to channel something like MJ or something right? And every time I did it, I balled out.”

Safe to say, Wade did ball out in the Beijing Olympics averaging 16 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in the marquee tournament as Team USA clinched gold. To add, he showed up and showed out in the game that mattered the most. Dwyane Wade dished out a solid 27-point game against Spain for the gold medal. Quite simply, the bald version of Wade was a man on a mission and he proved it by being a force for the USA.

Dwyane Wade came into the Beijing Olympics with a point to prove

The Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade endured a tough NBA season leading up to the 2008 event. The 13x NBA All-Star missed 31 games due to injury that season, and the Heat failed to make the playoffs.

They ended the season with a woeful 15-67 record, prompting the US Olympics think-tank to doubt his chances of making a comeback and suiting up for Team USA. All the while, Wade rehabbed and recovered. He was determined to prove his point. Speaking on ‘The Redeem Team’ he revealed how Jerry Colangelo had his doubts about Wade’s participation though Coach Michael Krzyzewski wanted him to be on the team.

“I did understand that, but I was pissed because it was like a part of my never-ending story of always feeling like they don’t appreciate you.”

Once the Olympics began, Wade came off the bench to be a consistent scoring option, even surpassing teammates LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Safe to say, the bald look sure had him ready for an all-important competition.