Dwyane Wade Olympics broadcasting: NBA legend, Noah Eagle's commentary praised on social media
Former NBA Finals champion Dwyane Wade has made a return to basketball, but not as a player.
Wade, making his game-calling debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, appeared alongside play-by-play commentator Noah Eagle on the NBC family of networks' coverage of Olympics basketball on Saturday. Fans were instantly enamored with Wade's commentary during a matchup between France and Brazil.
Wade, who will call Team USA games alongside Eagle during the Paris Games, delivered plenty of high-energy moments, like yelling "Yabusele" during a Gabriel Yabusele dunk. He even gave solid analysis on French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2023-24.
REQUIRED READING:What to know about Dwyane Wade as NBC's Olympic basketball commentator at Paris Games
“(Wembanyama) is electrifying and that’s not even a big enough word for what he brings," Wade said. "But what I love most about him … it's the patience of this player ... to make sure that his teammates get involved and get into the game first.”
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
NBC Olympics president and executive producer Molly Solomon told USA TODAY in June that Wade's experience of having previously competed in international games — while also having a relationship with multiple players on the team, including LeBron James, with whom he won two NBA championships — was part of the reason he was selected for the role, despite having limited game-calling experience.
Eagle and Wade could also be a sign of things to come, as NBC, along with Amazon and ESPN, recently acquired the media rights to broadcast NBA games starting in 2025-26.
The former Miami Heat guard was a 13-time NBA All-Star and represented the United States at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, where he won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively.
Here's how social media reacted to Wade's game-calling duties on Saturday:
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS:Follow USA TODAY's full coverage here
Dwyane Wade Olympics broadcasting: Social media reacts
Here's how social media reacted to Wade working on NBC's broadcast team for France vs. Brazil basketball on Saturday: