All-around superstar
Dwyane Wade's recent hot streak has helped to propel him among the NBA leaders in several key statistical categories:
Heat's executive vice president/chief marketing officer, McCullough is basking in the glow of Wade's incredible performances in recent weeks.
Wade already has put his mark on a popular catchphrase. After he scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to beat New York 120-115 last month, he raced across the court, pointed to his jersey and proclaimed to the home crowd, "This is my house!"
Two days later, when Cleveland came to town, the Heat was selling T-shirts with that message - and they're still flying off the shelves.
"Everything he says, everything he does, people want a piece of it,"
McCullough said.
Wade has been an international figure since 2006, when he led the Heat to the NBA title.
He refreshed his reputation at the Beijing Games, and in the 11 games since the All-Star break has burnished it further.
During this stretch, Wade is averaging 36.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
Monday night, he scored 48 points against Chicago and wrapped up a 130-127 double-overtime victory with a steal in the final seconds and a running three-point shot at the buzzer.
That dramatic rescue of the weary Heat evoked comparisons to The Great One - Michael Jordan.
"I don't think that's going too far,"
said Stacey King, a former Jordan teammate who now serves as the Bulls' television analyst.
Since the Feb. 15 All-Star Game, Wade has exceeded 40 points in five games and established career highs with seven steals in one game and 16 assists on two occasions.
The Heat is only 6-5 during Wade's hot streak, but he is generating buzz for the MVP award. ESPN radio host Mike Tirico, a voter for post-season awards, said he would consider Wade an MVP candidate alongside favorites Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Wade's performance Monday night also swayed a non-voter, Bulls veteran guard Lindsey Hunter.
"I probably had Kobe and 'Bron neck-and-neck for MVP with Wade third,"
Hunter told The Chicago Tribune. "That order has changed."
Fans across the country who saw highlights of Monday's game might agree. The local love affair has gone global once again.
Last week in Toronto, Raptors fans serenaded Wade with chants of "M-V-P!"
as he stood at the free-throw line.
He'll get another chance to add to the grass-roots campaign when he faces the Boston Celtics tonight at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade had a relatively quiet night (25 points) when Boston beat Miami here 98-83 in January.
Wade has been superb all season. But his recent extraordinary play after two injury-plagued seasons combined with his winning image and the Heat's resurgence might make him more popular than ever.
"What it does is it gives him something very few athletes have, and that's sustainability,"
said Neil Schwartz, director of business development for Jupiter-based Sports marketing Surveys.
Even the Band-Aid that Wade wore to cover a gash under his left eye turned into marketing gold - the fashionable Band-Wade. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith wore the customized bandages when Wade appeared as an in-studio guest.
Wade's jersey was No. 8 in sales nationwide at the end of January. Expect that ranking to rise.
There's no telling how far this could go if Wade, the leading scorer on the gold-medal winning Olympic "Redeem Team"
keeps playing this well.
McCullough said he thinks Wade could surpass an NBA marketing giant - Shaquille O'Neal.
"I think Dwyane is headed for a level we haven't seen here before,"
McCulllough said, "and could eclipse what we saw when we got Shaq."
