Zaire Wade, a three-star high school recruit and the son of former NBA All-Star and now Utah Jazz part-owner Dwyane Wade, is signing a contract with the NBA G League, and is set to join the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s affiliate, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Per G League rules, however, the 19-year-old combo guard will be signing with the league and must go through its annual draft, to be held on Oct. 23. Whether he will be selected by the Stars — who hold the 10th pick in each of the draft’s three rounds — or potentially goes undrafted and signs with the team afterward remains to be seen.
For now, though, Wade is the 296th-ranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. He began his high school career first playing for Mount Carmel High School in Chicago as a freshman, and then American Heritage High School in Miami for his sophomore and junior seasons. For his his senior season, he transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif., playing alongside LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, and five-star recruit BJ Boston (who spent this past season at Kentucky before being drafted by the LA Clippers).
However, in April 2020, Wade announced he was transferring to Brewster Academy — a boarding school in Wolfeboro, N.H., formerly home to such NBA players as the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, the Pelicans’ Devonté Graham, and the Pacers’ T.J. Warren — and reclassifying to the class of 2021.
Despite offers from UC Santa Barbara, DePaul, Nebraska, Rhode Island, TCU, South Carolina, and Toledo, he never committed to a collegiate program.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder was featured in an Instagram post earlier this year by NBA trainer Chris Johnson playing alongside such NBA players as Jazz guard (and NBA Sixth Man of the Year) Jordan Clarkson and Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons, among others.
Now, when Wade joins the Stars, he will be among a small list of prospects to go straight from the prep ranks to the G League. The G League Ignite team, which was launched to help develop young players for the NBA, saw three five-star prospects from the Class of 2020 just get selected in the ’21 NBA draft, with Jalen Green going second, Jonathan Kuminga No. 7, and Isaiah Todd No. 31.
Wade and the Stars will begin their G League season on Nov. 5 against the Oklahoma City Blue.
Zaire Wade is the oldest son of Dwyane Wade.
Sierra Canyon's Zaire Wade #2 in action against Dominican during a high school basketball game at the Hoophall Classic, Saturday, January 18, 2020, in Springfield, MA. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
