NBA legends Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade are approached by democratic donors to run for Senate in Florida

As the Florida Democrats are searching for strong candidates to run against Senator Rick Scott next year, it seems that former NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwayne Wade appear to be favorites in the recruitment lists.

Reports suggest that separate initiatives to bring them into state politics have already started, as the party donors have confirmed their interest in them to reverse the trend of Republican dominance in Florida. However, they know that the actual possibilities of getting them to run in politics are improbable.

NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill have rocketed to the top of the recruitment lists for some Florida Democrats looking for a strong candidate to run against Sen. Rick Scott in 2024. https://t.co/2Mu2tzGXP2

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 8, 2023

“Grant Hill has great name ID. He would raise a boatload of money and is one of the smartest guys you will ever meet,” said Democratic donor John Morgan, an Orlando-based trial attorney. “Grant Hill would beat the s— out of Rick Scott.”

As Governor Ron DeSantis recently won his re-election by a double-digit margin, the Democrats know that they must change their strategy and look for a candidate that is already known and undeniably popular, even though it is much more likely that a traditional politician will end up campaigning against Scott.

“That’s what Larry and I talked about — Grant Hill,” Morgan said. “I’m not sure it’s his time, but he would be great. He’s competitive. I think he sees LeBron James as a billionaire and Magic Johnson almost a billionaire, and it gets his competitive juices flowing. I am not sure he is done with business.”

Hill currently lives in the Orlando area, especially considering he represented the Magic for seven seasons, but has rarely stepped unto the political arena. Last time he participated was back when he campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Jacksonville in 2016, and publicly criticized former President Donald Trump.

Democrats have not won the Senate race in the Sunshine State since Bill Nelson was re-elected in 2012. Their party has not held the Chamber of Legislature or the Governors Mansion in three decades.

Wade recently talked about leaving Florida because his family ‘would not be accepted or feel comfortable there’

The former Heat legend is well-known for being outspoken and defending transfender rights, especially as his 15-year-old daughter Zaya has become a transgender model and activist. Lately, legislation has not shined in their favor as the Republicans across the nation have taken aim at their community.

Republicans in the Sunshine State have filed more than 15 anti-trans bills only in this year’s legislative session, so Wade and his family promised to leave Florida.

“My family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there,” Wade told Rachel Nichols on Showtime. “And so that’s one of the reasons why I do not live there.”

“Dwyane Wade is a Florida legend, whose leadership past and present has a lot of folks in our state sending feelers out,” said Ray Paultre, leader of a progressive donor group. “We have seen former athletes, in both parties, bring something special to the political landscape. He hasn’t been officially approached, but he is on the list of four or five dream candidates to challenge Rick Scott.

“There are different groups talking to a diverse set of potential candidates — all of which would be great options,” he added. “I won’t speak to where each of those conversations are, but I can confirm that there are organized efforts to engage everyone you’ve mentioned.”