NBA Lockout: Dwyane Wade Puts David Stern In His Place

Billionaires vs. millionaires?
Wade had a different kind of confrontation Friday.

Dwyane Wade took a brick from the NBA Players' Black Wall of Silence and threw it at NBA commisioner David Stern during Friday's meeting between the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA.

This blog was very critical of Wade the last two weeks for not using his fame to promote awareness of the Troy Davis case and being one of the many bricks in the NBA's Black Wall of Silence. It's time to change that.

Props to Wade for putting Stern in his place when he tried to patronize the players during Friday's collective bargaining session. Stern gets worshiped by reporters as the "best commissioner in sports" but he's probably closer to being the person with the worst contract in sports.

Ethan J. Skolnick from the Palm Beach Post blogged that NBA stars were advised not to say too much about the NBA Lockout to limit damage to their public images. The Stern-loving members of the media will probably criticize Wade for his confrontation with the commissioner but Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported that 400 NBA players respect him for it.

Another benefit of Wade finding his voice is that it showed the owners how committed the players were to getting a fair deal, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN. Miami Heat owner Micky Arison might have called Wade's confrontation with Stern a "friendly chat" but it showed the owners how serious the players take these negotiations.

Hopefully, Wade won't just speak out behind closed doors but start to address issues bigger than basketball in a public forum. This world could use some more friendly chats with people in positions of authority.