Inside The Heat

Dwyane Wade offers words of encouragement to Miami Dolphins' draft pick Tua Tagovailoa

The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins are the last two No. 5 picks by a South Florida professional sports team
Shandel Richardson|
Dwyane Wade offers words of encouragement to Miami Dolphins' draft pick Tua Tagovailoa
Dwyane Wade offers words of encouragement to Miami Dolphins' draft pick Tua Tagovailoa

Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade knows all about being the No. 5 pick in a draft.

He was chosen at that spot in 2003 before becoming the most decorated player in franchise history. So, naturally, Wade made the connection when the Miami Dolphins chose Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth selection in Thursday night's NFL draft.

Wade took to social media to express his support.

"The last 5th overall pick to Miami did some cool things. Congrts @Tuaamann can’t wait to watch your journey."

Wade was a late addition to the Heat's draft board in 2003. At No. 5, they realized they had little chance of selecting LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh, who were chosen among the top four. The Heat were showing interest in Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford before a Wade workout impressed team president Pat Riley.

The decision to take Wade turned out to be the correct one. By his third season, Wade led the Heat to the first NBA title in team history. He would win two more championships, play in 13 All-Star games and retire as the all-time No. 3 shooting guard behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

The Dolphins can only hope the same for Tagovailoa, who helped lead Alabama to the national title and was a Heisman finalist in his first two seasons. His draft stock took a dip after sustaining a hip injury as a junior. Still, Tagovailao is the most anticipated Dolphins quarterback i since Dan Marino. 

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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