NBA champion Dwyane Wade returned to Marquette University to receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
Wade, who spent 16 years playing for the league, also delivered a commencement speech to 1,942 new graduates.
“Today, we celebrate what you have accomplished as we should. Tomorrow, wake up to begin the next leg of your journey,” he said, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“I want to take you guys back about 23 years. Some people in the back were born about 23 years ago, I don’t know about the ones up front. My college coach at Marquette was Coach Tom Crean. The very first call I got was before my senior year was from coach,” Wade told the students who filled the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, reflecting on his time at the college.
“The first person to bring a cap and gown into my house was from coach. He wasn’t recruiting me just because of my basketball abilities, but also because he believed that I wanted more for myself and my family. The first person to offer me a scholarship — whether I passed my ACT or — not was coach,” he continued.
Wade went on to become a three-time NBA Champion, an Olympic Gold medalist and a thirteen-time NBA All-Star.
During his speech, the esteemed athlete drumemd home the importance of self-awareness.
“Back in the 2011-12 season with the Miami Heat I turned 30. I was playing with a 27-year-old LeBron James, one of the greatest talents the League has ever seen. We were coming off a championship loss to the Dallas Mavericks the previous season,” he explained. “After losing, there is a lot of soul-searching that goes on. I decided to take a deep look inside myself: My game, my age, my injuries. That self-awareness helped me recognize that I needed to step back from being “The Man.” If we were going to win more championships, we needed one definitive leader and, as obvious as that choice seems today, because LeBron will be entering his 100th season in the NBA, it was not so obvious then.”
You can watch the full speech below.
