When Dwyane Wade retired from the NBA in 2019 following a glittering 16-season career, he had spent more than half his life playing basketball.
But to hear the now 42-year-old tell it, basketball was just “a moment” that happened to last more than 20 years.
“It lasted for a lot of years, but that moment has passed and I’m on to the next one,” Wade tells CNBC Make It. “That’s how I view life.”
For Wade, being present and trying to get the most out of each moment is what allowed him to string together a career that garnered 13 All-Star appearances and an NBA scoring title.
Now the Hall of Famer, who spoke to CNBC Make It while promoting a partnership with Google Workspace, is embracing his current moment. His myriad post-career projects include ownership of sports teams, TV commentary, operating an entertainment production company and writing books.
“I wanted to be a great athlete, and I put the work in,” he says. “I have to learn how to put the work in on this side to be a great entrepreneur, a great businessman, a great community leader. All the things I want to be.”
It doesn’t matter how bad I want it, [success is] not just going to magically appear. The work has to be done day by day.
Because he can’t measure his progress in points and rebounds like he could as a player, Wade’s new mantra is to “maximize each day.” For him that means laying out what he wants to accomplish each day as he works toward his goals.
“I really believe in the seconds, the minutes, the hours. I believe in the steps,” Wade says. “I understand that it doesn’t matter how bad I want it, it’s not just going to magically appear. The work has to be done day by day.”
He approaches his ventures the same way he approached his playing career: by putting in the work and letting the results speak for themselves.
“I think right now, a lot of the things I’m doing no one gets a chance to see. They only see the wins,” Wade says. “I understood that as an athlete and I understand that as a businessman. There’s so many days that nobody’s patting you on the back. You’re just working.”
Wade likes having so many balls in the air “because it keeps me on my toes,” telling Make It that he doesn’t want to allow himself the opportunity to be lax.
“I’m a young man,” he says. “So I don’t want to be.”
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