Wade Reveals He Hasn't Spoken To Riley Since Leaving Heat
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Tom Bogert, CBS Local Sports
Relationships in sports, be it teammates or management, are regularly compared to marriages. It's a neat simile that draws upon similar foundations, so it works. Under that scope, Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley had a fantastically successful 13 years of marriage until their sudden, yet clean, divorce last summer, as Wade left the Miami Heat and returned home to his childhood sweetheart Chicago Bulls.
Against all odds, the divorce hasn't been acrimonious on any level. The South Florida fans still deify Wade, Riley hasn't spoken much publicly while the media has tried, and tried, and tried, then tried some more to get a good headline out of Wade, desperately hoping for the Miami legend to say something bad about Riley to no avail.
But, as Wade prepares to return to Miami for his first foray into the visitor's locker room, the current Bulls' guard disclosed that he and Riley have not spoken since he left.
"I haven't talked to him. Simple as that," Wade told Chicago Tribune's KC Johnson. "I think I've been very open and honest about my respect and love for Pat. But I've also been honest that I haven't spoken to him since the season ended."
Wade knows where Riley comes from. Riley's vision of the NBA is rooted in enmity for anyone wearing different colors than you. These days, old school basketball fans scoff when Wade and LeBron James embrace before tip-off.
"I know who Pat is. It's no secret to me," Wade said. "If you're not with him, you're against him. That's just the way he is. You gotta understand that, man. I'm cool with it. I'm fine, 100 percent. I was there 13 years. I've seen a lot of video tributes. I've seen a lot of players come in and go out. And I've seen the way he has responded to them."
Once more, for emphasis, Wade repeated the cutthroat sentiment that's yield Riley so much success: "And I know if you're not with him, you're against him."
