Dwyane Wade Backpedals on Comments that Olympians Should Be Paid to Play

A day after he caused a stir by reportedly saying that NBA players should be paid to play in the Olympics, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat backed off his stance on Thursday, letting everyone know that money is not his motivation for taking part in the London Games.

In a statement Thursday on ESPN.com, Wade said, "I do not want to be paid to go to the Olympics."  

Wade also said via his Twitter account that pride for his country motivated him more than any dollar amount could.

Just a day earlier, following Miami’s practice, Wade was quoted as saying that NBA players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics.

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"It's a lot of things you do for the Olympics -- a lot of jerseys you sell. We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it's not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.

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Wade cleared up his comments on Thursday, saying that he was responding to a question about Olympians being paid, never meaning that he needed to be paid to play.

For Wade, it could be too little too late. He is already being labeled as a money hungry athlete and that title will be tough to get away from.

What Wade doesn't realize is that he's getting paid plenty for playing in the Olympics. While he may not get a check to cash from the International Olympic Committee, NBA players do receive compensation from Gatorade, Nike, or any other company they are signed with who buys endorsement time for the London Games.

In Wade's case, he won't theoretically be going home broke.

Wade's deal with Nike is worth over $7 million annually. How much of that is a result of Nike knowing Wade will be taking part in the Olympics? 

The Olympics allow Wade and other NBA stars even more global exposure than they already get and as a result even more endorsement money comes flowing in.

Believe me, in addition to his handsome NBA salary, Wade gets paid plenty to compete for his country.

He can back off his original statement all he wants, but at the end of the day Wade still looks like a selfish athlete that's driven by only one thing, and that's money.