Dwyane Wade doesn’t have a reputation for being a dirty player, but his pristine image took a major hit Wednesday night after his very questionable low-blow move against Charlotte guard Ramon Sessions.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Heat up 83-79, Wade dribbled up the court and when he was body checked by Sessions he lifted his left leg a little too high and struck Sessions between the legs. It hurts just trying to describe the play. Wade drew loud boos from the Charlotte crowd and Sessions, who believed that Wade intentionally struck him, got in Wade’s face to let him know that was not cool. A day later, Wade earned a one-game suspension from the league office. Watch the play:
Wade’s actions may have been driven by the fact that the game got very chippy. The Bobcats didn’t play like a team on a long losing streak, sending a message to the Heat by committing some hard fouls. And game was close until the Heat went on a run late in the fourth quarter. The most egregious hard foul was committed by Gerald Henderson, who knocked down LeBron James on a breakaway layup. Henderson was confronted by Heat forward Udonis Haslem, setting the tone for the rest of the night and causing Wade to lose his cool and resort to some playground tactics.