Dwyane Wade is no rookie when it comes to manicures.
“I’ve been getting my nails painted since 2007,” Wade, 42, told Highsnobiety in his cover story, which was released on Thursday, March 14. “I always knew that’s what I wanted to do: I wanted to be one of them sharp-dressed men who smelled good, who stayed clean-shaved, and all that,” he continued, crediting his dad, Dwyane Wade Sr., and uncles for teaching him how to look.
“My father has always been a man who would take care of himself,” he gushed. “He was just a fly dude, and it didn’t matter if it was a sweatsuit or if it was a suit.”
Wade recently showed off a simple nail design at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January. His manicure featured a pattern of red, nude and black nails, seemingly representing the Miami Heat’s team colors, which he played on from 2003 until 2016, and again in 2019, after playing two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Wade paired the nail polish with a black double-breasted blazer and matching pants.
He again rocked a low-key manicure at the 2024 Oscars earlier this month. For film’s biggest night, he sported an asymmetrical pattern featuring nude, black and white nails that perfectly complemented his Versace tuxedo.
This isn’t the first time Wade has been candid about getting his nails painted. The NBA star previously opened up about experimenting with nail polish while speaking to GQ in 2011.
“Three years ago I was like, ‘Man, I kind of want to paint my toenails black,” he recalled, noting that he thought his teammates would “kill” him. “Later I was on vacation in the Bahamas with LeBron [James], and when he saw my toes he was like, ‘Something is seriously wrong with you.’” Wade explained that James, 39, eventually came around to the idea but still thought Wade was “crazy.”
