Being the fifth overall pick in athletics is important to residents of Miami, Fla.
While the Miami Heat became a franchise of the National Basketball Association in 1988, its first ever championship did not come until 2006.
In the 2003 NBA Draft, the organization held the fifth overall pick of the first round and it used it on a young talent from Chicago.
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Miami did not know what it was getting in Dwayne Wade, but he showed a championship mindset. People were fascinated by LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but it was Wade that won the first NBA title of the trio.
He won Most Valuable Player honors for his performance in the 2006 NBA Finals versus the Dallas Mavericks and would score two more rings in 2012 and 2013.
Wade was a 13-time NBA All-Star, a scoring champion in 2009 and his No. 3 jersey has been retired by the Heat.
Miami even changed Dade-County to Miami-Wade-County in honor of him.
With all the joy and hardware Wade brought, Miami wonders is it possible for another fifth overall pick to turn its gridiron fortunes around?
The person for the job landed on Thursday night, as the Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 in the first round of the NFL Draft.
In being excited for the former Alabama standout, Wade took his joy to Twitter.
The last 5th overall pick to Miami did some cool things. Congrts @Tuaamann can’t wait to watch your journey.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 24, 2020
The Dolphins have not won a Super Bowl since 1973 and it has not featured a marquee quarterback since Dan Marino. Even with Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster, fans are expecting Tagovailoa to lead the team to a Super Bowl.
He will have the support of Wade and the city, but it will be on Tagovailoa to produce.
Prior to the draft, he helped the Crimson Tide win a national championship in 2017 and finished his career as the school’s all-time leader for touchdown passes (87) and total scores (96).
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
