James Wade, an assistant coach for the Raptors, seems unfazed by his transition from the WNBA to the NBA. Just basketball will do
Wade joins a front-row coaching staff in Toronto with a wide range of experiences after departing as the head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky.
James Wade was hoping for a rejection, for someone to tell him the possibility was absurd and he didn’t have to take the risk.
However, none of his buddies discouraged him from applying for a position as an assistant coach with the Raptors. The tipping point came when his relatives expressed their opinions.
He had to take the risk, resign from his role as the general manager and head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, and try.
I called my mom, who is the most grumpy person I know.
Against all odds, the 48-year-old was able to join Darko Rajakovic’s Toronto crew thanks to the relocation. This is a new development in his ten-year coaching career, which has already seen him make stops in the top women’s leagues in France and Russia and the WNBA, where he won coach of the year honors with the Chicago Sky in 2019 and the league’s executive of the year title in 2022.
Wade may not have anticipated it and it may not have been the normal route to an NBA bench, but it illustrates the variety of basketball experience on Rajakovic’s staff.
Wade, with his distinctive experience, Jama Mahlalela, a longtime NBA and G League veteran, and Pat Delany, who has worked as a coach in the NBA for around 20 years, round out the group. The coaching staff is on the front row.
“But I believe that the most crucial factor is that everyone here is open-minded and working to advance in the same direction.
“We recognize that everyone in this community is unique, and we encourage everyone to appreciate those differences and truly consider the perspectives of others. Simply pay attention to others and interact with everyone.
The message that needs to be spread by the personnel comes straight from Rajakovic. Whatever their origins, experiences, or previous employment, it is crucial to carry out the coach’s wishes.
“Our staff is well-organized, and we all come from very different backgrounds and viewpoints, but the coach’s vision is the most important thing,” stated Wade. “I believe that everyone is doing their best and
Wade’s involvement in the women’s game shouldn’t be taken too seriously in terms of how well he’ll get along with players in the men’s game.
It is basketball. Also, folks.
“At first, I think I put pressure on myself,” he admitted. “I tried to convince myself that it was different, but as you get to know these individuals, coach them, and converse with them, you realize that it’s really not; the resources are different.
“One of the other things is I’m throwing the ball up above the backboard, and they’re catching it and dunking it, (but) other than that, the personalities, the talent, the buy-in into the game, and the love for the game are all the same.”
Wade claimed he was in excellent health in
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