Democrats hope to lure NBA greats into Florida Senate race: report  

Florida Democrats have a pair of potential political candidates in mind that they say would be a slam dunk to win a Senate seat in the Sunshine State. 

Democratic operatives and donors in Florida are reportedly recruiting NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill to go up against Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in 2024, according to an NBC News report on Monday. 

The outlet reported that there have been “separate active efforts” by Democrats to get the former hoopsters to jump into the 2024 Florida Senate race.

The people behind the efforts – which have not been led by the state or national party – see a need for Democrats to nominate an extremely ambitious candidate if they want to rollback recent Republican domination in state elections, according to the report. 

“Grant Hill has great name ID. He would raise a boatload of money and is one of the smartest guys you will ever meet,” John Morgan, a national Democratic donor who has spoken with Hill about a potential run, told NBC News. “Grant Hill would beat the s–t out of Rick Scott.”

Hill, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and played seven of his 19 NBA seasons with the Orlando Magic, is a Florida resident but has not been known to weigh-in on political topics. 

In 2016, he campaigned for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jacksonville.

During a 2019 interview with CNN, Hill criticized former President Donald Trump for calling Baltimore a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and a “very dangerous & filthy place.” 

Wade, a three-time NBA champion who played 15 seasons with the Miami Heat, has become a vocal proponent of LGBTQ causes since his 15-year-old daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender. 

Wade revealed last month that he moved his family out of Florida over fears that they would not “feel comfortable there.” 

Republicans in Tallahassee have passed several bills this session related to transgender issues that LGBTQ activists have called “pernicious” and President Biden has referred to as “cruel.” 

“Dwayne Wade is a Florida legend, whose leadership past and present has a lot of folks in our state sending feelers out,” Ray Paultre, executive director of progressive donor group the Florida Alliance, told NBC News.

“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,” said Paultre.

Democrats last won a Florida Senate race back in 2012, and the party has not held the governorship in the state or a majority in either chamber of the state Legislature since the 1990s.