Miami Heat

Bunch of people at a bar in Charlottesville, Virginia took it all the way back to 1994 this week ... when Dwyane Wade took over the stage on karaoke night and busted out "Candy Rain."

You remember the song ... it was Soul For Real's biggest hit back in the day (hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100) ... produced by Heavy D and written by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest.

In other words, it's a classic!!!

So, when D-Wade and his friends were in town for a youth basketball tournament, the retired NBA superstar decided to hit up Rapture Restaurant and provide some musical entertainment ... and the crowd loved it!

At one point, the other guy on stage is calling for someone in the crowd to come up -- someone he refers to as "Drizzy" and "Drake" ... but from what we're told, it wasn't the superstar rapper Drake.

Still, enjoy the clip ... and here's the original song if you're in the mood to jam.

Dwyane Wade surprised the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by showing up to their graduation ceremony and telling them how to prepare for the next chapter.

The former Miami Heat star made an appearance Sunday at MSD's commencement, where he delivered a heartfelt speech about the impact the school shooting left on him and how he grappled with relating to students soon after the 2018 massacre.

D-Wade described the silence on campus about a month afterward, when he was invited as a guest to meet and talk with the grieving student body. To his surprise, he said that even his mere presence was able to lift spirits ... despite not being able to fully comprehend what they'd been through. The point ... a small act of kindness went a long way.

He went on to relate even further to the 2019 graduating class, telling them he too recently closed a big chapter in his own life -- Dwyane retired from the NBA this year -- but that he was still excited about the next steps, as they oughta be as well. He also imparted a team mantra he made up with his 2013 team.

Dwyane had the audience recite the mantra, which ended with a rousing "We fight!" call-back. He left the stage to huge applause ... clearly, he knocked it out of the park.

How does Dwyane Wade REALLY feel about Paul Pierce saying his career was better?

"I'm a high road kind of person ... I won't put another black man down."

Wade couldn't have been more respectful to the longtime Celtics star when we spotted him and Gabrielle Union leaving Blue Dog Beer Tavern in L.A.

"He's an amazing player. I have a lot of respect for him," D-Wade added -- "I'm gonna clap when he goes in the Hall of Fame."

Of course, the Paul Pierce vs. D-Wade debate began back in April when Pierce appeared on ESPN and was asked if he thought he had the better career.

"That’s easy, I can say that off the bat, that’s me,” Pierce said. "I’m 24 or 25 and you give me [LeBron James] and [Chris Bosh], I’d be sitting on five or six championships easy."

Heat fans didn't like Paul's comments -- and busted out a "Paul Pierce sucks" chant at Wade's final home game in Miami.

There's more ... we also asked Wade what his plans are after basketball -- and he told us he's gonna be a "kept man" for a while Union brings home the bacon!

"She got it," Wade said with a smile.

How do you one-up LeBron's famous Banana Boat pic? Ya can't ... but this is close!

Manu Ginobili and a bunch of his old Spurs teammates hopped on a giant inflatable hot dog Friday to pay tribute (?) to the most famous flotation device pic ever taken!!

Here's the order from front to back ... Boris Diaw, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills and Manu pulling up the rear.

They've even nicknamed themselves the "WienerBoatBoys" ... a nod to Bron's "Banana Boat Crew."

Remember, Bron -- along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Gabrielle Union -- hopped on that big yellow floatie back in 2015 in a pic that IMMEDIATELY went viral.

The funny thing about the new pic ... is Manu and his wiener-mates were all part of that San Antonio Spurs team that beat LeBron and D-Wade's Miami Heat team in the NBA Finals back in 2014!

By the way, the Spurs squad posted about the hot dog ride ...

Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss, listen up ... Lamar Odom says you've already interviewed the PERFECT candidate to replace Luke Walton -- JUWAN HOWARD!!!

Of course, Pelinka and Buss have been searching for a replacement for Walton since they canned him at the end of the season ... and they've already interviewed a few people for the gig.

Guys like Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd are reportedly the favorites ... but L.O. thinks the Lakers should scrap 'em both in favor of Howard, and he told us why.

"Somebody that has some presence. Somebody that can handle having LeBron on your team."

Howard's name has definitely been floated around as a name for the Lakers top job ... he was a teammate of LeBron and coached him while he was with the Miami Heat.

So, let's be real for a second, the Lakers are almost certainly gonna hire Ty Lue ... BUT don't discount what Odom is saying, there might be an 11th-hour surprise.

If you're somewhere in a barber shop comparing the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, you're getting on Shawn Marion's last damn nerve ... and he wants you to stop.

Both Wade and Dirk called it quits this year, so of course, the NBA community had to start talking about which guy is higher on the all-time pecking order.

It's a pretty close race any way you slice it, with Dirk having more stats, and Wade having more rings (he also played defense) so people are pretty split.

Marion played with both men, on the Mavs with Dirk and the Heat with Wade ... and he has an opinion ... he thinks everyone should shut the hell up.

"Everybody gotta compare somebody to somebody. Stop that sh*t."

Marion's aggravated point is that the 7'0" Dirk and the 6'4" Wade had two TOTALLY different games and comparing them is pointless and almost insulting to their legacies.

"Respect what they done. They both were true professionals, and they left a legacy to live and continue to live out now that they're done."

Dwyane Wade's NYC retirement party turned into a good Bye-Bye-Bye Bash Wednesday night ... when Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel stopped by to celebrate D-Wade's career!

The party was crazy -- a '70s-themed rager at Catch NYC with costumes and great music and basketball stars ... including Wade's good friend, Carmelo Anthony!

TMZ Sports obtained video from inside the party where you can see D-Wade, Gabby and Justin all gettin' down on the dance floor!!

Earlier in the evening, Wade posted a triple-double as the Miami Heat lost to the Brooklyn Nets 113-94.

A ton of Wade's friends were in the Brooklyn crowd -- including LeBron James, Carmelo and Chris Paul ... the entire Banana Boat crew.

Wade also gave his jersey to Carmelo after the game.

So, this is it ... Wade has finally closed the book on his 16-year NBA career that features 3 NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP, 13 All-Star appearances, he won an Olympic gold medal for Team USA and he was also the NBA scoring champ in 2009.

He was also named to 8 All-NBA teams during his run.

So, what's next for Dwyane? Dude's got options in everything from fashion to TV announcing to acting ... and also helping his superstar sons as they get ready to play at the college level.

Carson Kressley thinks it's a BEAUTIFUL thing that Dwyane Wade's family took his 11-year-old son to the Miami gay pride parade this weekend ... because families should support each other.

As we previously reported, Gabrielle Union took 11-year-old Zion Wade to the massive festival on Sunday where they danced and celebrated at one of the largest LGBTQ events in the country.

Dwyane was on the road with the Miami Heat but posted messages of support and said, "We support each other with pride."

There has been some blowback from haters who think Wade's kid is too young to attend a pride parade -- but Kressley immediately shot that down and said those people don't understand what Pride is really about.

"I would say [to those people] come to a gay pride [event] and you'll see how beautiful and embracing and how diverse and how wonderful it is ... and kids should be there to see it!"

He added, "It's a beautiful thing. It's great when parents bring their kids."

He's only got ONE more NBA game left in Miami -- so some of Dwyane Wade's most famous friends threw him a huge bash to celebrate the end of his amazing 16-year NBA career ... and the pics are GREAT!!

Huge rap stars like Rick Ross and Meek Mill partied with NBA stars like Jimmy Butler and Chris Bosh Monday night at the official "One Last Dance" bash at the Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami Beach.

D-Wade's mom and dad showed up to the party too -- along with Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Fat Joe and more!!! Of course, Dwyane's wife, Gabrielle Union, was front and center.

The guys had champagne, personalized bottles of whiskey ... and D-Wade even got a massive bottle of wine during the Miami bash!!!

Ya gotta see the crane machine game that was stocked with Dwyane's designer socks from his sock line.

Of course, Wade announced this season will be his last ... and his final game in Miami is Tuesday night against the 76ers. His last-ever game is Wednesday in Brooklyn against the Nets.

It's been a hell of a career for the future Hall of Famer ... dude was a 3-time NBA champ, 13-time NBA All-Star, 2006 NBA Finals MVP AND the 2008-09 NBA scoring champion.

In fact, the career was so legendary ... ya gotta check out the FIRE fishnet shirt Jimmy Butler broke out for the party!!!

Shane Battier is off the deeeeeeeep end ... and it's beautiful as hell.

The 2-time NBA champ hit the stage to put on his best rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" at his charity karaoke event on Thursday ... and this guy pulled out all the stops.

Look ... singing the ballad in front of ANYONE requires some guts. But, to do it in front of a huge crowd while wearing a dress AND a wig puts the whole thing over the top.

Miami Heat TV host Jason Jackson played the role of Cooper ... and he even put on a wig as well!!

It was all part of the 7th Annual Battioke Event in Miami ... which raises money for college scholarships.

Battier clearly stole the show ... but there were other great performances from Kelly Olynyk, who sang some classic One Direction ... and Pierre Garcon, who pulled off "Let Me Love You" by Mario.

The championship belt ended up going to Heat GM Andy Elisburg, who sang "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers.

We're told the event raised more than $150k!!!

Gabrielle Union joined an EXCLUSIVE mile-high club this week ... becoming maybe the first wife ever to watch her hubby hit a game-winning shot on an airplane!!!

It all went down Wednesday night ... when Gabby was some 30,000 feet in the air watching Dwyane Wade's Heat play the Warriors.

Union says the plane had Wi-Fi, so she was able to catch the whole game ... including Wade's miracle buzzer beater that lifted Miami over Golden State, 126-125.

Union tells TMZ Sports her reaction to the play was priceless ... saying she was screaming her face off right in her plane's chair!!!

For his part, Wade could hardly believe the moment either ... calling it "crazy" and telling reporters, "It’s great to do it in front of fans. It’s a fun moment.”

Gabrielle also told us the moment was extra special for another reason ... revealing some of the Parkland H.S. shooting survivors were in attendance for the game.

"The kids from Parkland were there, and he hit another game-winner, and it was, you know, angels among us."

Wade's been killin' it this season ... dropping 14.3 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

What's better than having a fully tricked out, $125k Jeep in your garage??

2 JEEPS!!!!!!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Miami Heat star Hassan Whiteside copped a baller white 2018 Jeep Wrangler this past offseason from Alex Vega of The Auto Firm.

Turns out, Vega did a bang-up job ... 'cause Whiteside had him make ANOTHER badass Jeep exactly like the first -- that means 22-in Avorza rims, massive 37-in. Nitto tires, incredible sound system, 6.4 Hemi engine ... and a really awesome car horn!!

Whiteside picked up the twin early on Monday ... and we're told he LOVES it ... and even started showing it off on social media.

It's worth noting ... the 2 whips match the Heat colors, so that's a nice touch.

We're told both Jeeps set Whiteside back over $125k each ... for all you math flunkies, that's more than a quarter-mil on the 2 whips.

Hey ... the dude's in the middle of a 4-year, $98.4 million deal ... can you blame him??

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade faced off on the court for the last time on Monday night ... and the biggest names in Hollywood had front row seats for the epic showdown.

It was a bittersweet moment for NBA fans ... LBJ and Wade have had some insane matchups over the past 16 years, so there was no way the biggest Laker fans would miss this one.

Wade's wifey, Gabrielle Union, had a courtside seat with her "L.A.'s Finest" costar Jessica Alba ... and Rams studs Brandin Cooks and Jared Goff also grabbed floor seats for the big game.

Other stars include Future, Kevin Costner, Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington and Will Ferrell.

They picked a great game to go to ... with LeBron guarding Wade on a potential game-tying 3 in the final seconds of the game ... which he missed.

One of Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat teammates is already angling to be the godfather of the new baby -- it's Udonis Haslem ... and he's ready to kick some ass!!

As we previously reported, D-Wade and Gabrielle Union welcomed a brand new baby girl earlier this week via surrogate -- after trying to get pregnant themselves for several years.

The couple says the baby is nothing short of a "miracle" -- and they're super excited about it!

So is Haslem, who's played 15 seasons with Wade. In fact, Haslem was on the Heat when Wade was drafted back in 2003.

UH clearly thinks he's got a good shot at being named "godfather" ...

"Congratulations to my family @dwyanewade and @itsgabrielleu on the birth of their beautiful baby girl. Got my ass kicking boots on and ready to be the best godfather ever my boy!!!"

The problem for UH ... Dwyane is pretty close with LeBron James and Chris Bosh -- so he could have some competition!

In fact, Chris' wife, Adrienne Bosh, also chimed in ...

"I’m sooooo happy for the both of you!!! I have seen this moment in my mind and heart a million times... She will always be cherished and loved and celebrated Just as the love that you and @DwyaneWade share!"

The Miami Heat also offered congrats to the couple -- noting, "We have something on the way for your ViceViceBaby!"

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union just had their first kid together -- a brand new baby girl -- after using a surrogate, the couple just revealed.

"We are sleepless and delirious but so excited to share that, our miracle baby, arrived last night (11/7) via surrogate," the NBA star announced.

"Welcome to the party sweet girl!"

The couple had been trying to have a kid for years but Union has struggled with infertility, a battle she's talked about publicly.

In fact, 46-year-old Union has said she suffered 8 or 9 miscarriages.

She even addressed the topic in her book, 'We're Going to Need More Wine' -- saying, "For 3 years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant."

But the good news ... they found a surrogate who carried the child for them -- and now they've got the baby they've been dreaming about!

Dwyane has 3 kids from other relationships but this is his first child with Gabrielle.

Gabrielle Union looks UNREAL -- flaunting her insane physique during a beach trip to Ibiza with that guy she's married to ... and the photos are awesome!

The superstar actress and her man have been vacationing off the coast of Spain ... and the 45-year-old was turning heads all over the beach.

The trip looks super fun -- the Wades and some friends have been golfing, clubbing, eating, yachting and posing for selfies all over the city.

As for Dwyane Wade ... his outfit was cool. Funky shoes and a Euro-style onesie-lookin' thing.

Gabby looks better though ...