Sole provider Spencer says it with sneakers

Dinwiddie and Wade were briefly teammates in Chicago two seasons ago, and the Nets guard considers the Heat star one of the three greatest shooting guards in NBA history.

Dinwiddie expressed his admiration to Wade again in their postgame chat.

"I said you deserve everything and thank you for allowing me to do this," Dinwiddie said.

He's already had some memorable ones this season - "Purple Rain" sneakers for a game at Minnesota in a tribute to legendary singer Prince, other pairs that were tributes to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick (for a game against Golden State, which certainly got noticed in the Bay Area where Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers) and Muhammad Ali.

He even had a pair that celebrated the logos of various media outlets. And last week, when comic legend and Marvel icon Stan Lee - a huge figure in the entertainment world - died, Dinwiddie had sneakers to honor him as well.

Adding Wade, 36, to that list was an easy call.

"It was kind of a no-brainer," said the 25-year-old Dinwiddie, who is doing all of this in conjunction with his family's foundation.

"Our focus is the youth, and our family's legacy has been entrenched in supporting the youth we encounter for generations now," he wrote earlier this season.

"So I honor the legacy of my family as well with every pair.

"Whether I'm sneaker king at the end of this season or not, this thing is so much bigger than basketball."

Associated Press