Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters had high hopes for himself during his college days at Syracuse.
According to Kansas City’s 610 AM radio host Danny Parkins, he thought he was a mix between Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Now, every kid coming up thinks he or she is going to be the best and all of them model themselves after the stars of their generation, so that’s no big deal. But the next part of this story is why this is a funny story.
True Dion Waiters story from his Cuse days: he considered his game a combo of Kobe and Dwayne Wade so he had teammates call him Kobe Wade.
— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) May 31, 2016
When he came out in 2013 as a No. 4 overall pick in the draft that year, he compared himself to Bryant and Wade. Waiters thought he was the next big thing and was eager to let everyone know it, too.
“I’m coming. I just feel as though I’m next up as far as shooting guards,” Waiters said, via Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld. “If you look around, you know, Kobe [Bryant] and [Dwyane] Wade and those guys, they paved the way for a player like me and they’re almost done. It’s not like that, but I’m just saying, I’m coming. I just want everybody to know that.”
While he did show some early promise with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Waiters has never been a particularly solid shooter — the hallmark of all great shooting guards. He’s a career 41.1 percent shooter and hits just 33.4 percent from behind the arc. He has averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists throughout his career.
At this point, it’s safe to say Waiters has established himself, just not as he once envisioned. He’s a solid bench player who brings energy and an edge. But Kobe Wade he is not.
Waiters is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason. He has stated his desire to remain with the Thunder, and there is a good chance that’s exactly what will happen.