A tennis net.
Wade’s hurdle came at the start of his drive to the basket for a layup in a game of H-O-R-S-E against Andy Roddick. The Miami Heat star made the shot and averted an embarrassing defeat for the NBA, rallying to win the celebrity showdown on a tournament practice court Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad hereA no-dunk rule imposed by Roddick kept the game close. He sank several shots early and led H-O-R to H, which left Wade resorting to the leap over the net and other inventive maneuvers.
“He started off hot,” Wade said. “He made a lot of shots. I was kind of surprised. I had to go use my athleticism a little bit. I could see he was going to win the jump-shot contest out here, so I had to go to something else.”
The matchup had both athletes grinning but sweating. As a warmup to basketball, Roddick handed Wade a racket and they hit for several minutes.
Wade said he last played tennis in high school, and it showed. When he shanked a backhand, Roddick shouted, “That’s OK. I don’t like the backhand side either.”
Wade soon found himself in retreat. With his back to the backstop, he whiffed at several serves Roddick appeared to hit full speed.
Wade glared at his racket, then grinned.
“It’s got a hole in it,” he told Roddick.
When they switched to basketball, Roddick sank his first two tries from 15 and 18 feet.
“This sport is a little easier to pick up than tennis,” Wade said.
Roddick duplicated his opponent’s over-the-net drive for the layup, but with help. His trainer held down the net so Roddick merely had to step over it.
With both players at H-O-R-S, Wade mulled his options before deciding on a shot.
“I’m a little tired,” he said. “I’ll have a seat.”
He banked in his attempt while sitting just in front of the hoop. Roddick’s try rimmed out, giving Wade the victory.
As Roddick told Wade: “You should do this for a living.”
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