Dion Waiters has already lived a full, challenging life. He has witnessed countless tragedies in his life, which are significantly more important than the stops and starts that have marked his NBA career. After signing a contract extension this summer, he has officially found a home with the Miami Heat. But if there's one thing he's never lacked for -- even while going through free agency -- it's confidence. There's a good reason why.

Waiters talks about status

Waiters was interviewed by "HipHopSince1987" on Thursday. The interview touched on a variety of subjects, with the most waves being made over comments he saved for Kyrie Irving and his trade demand to get out of Cleveland.

The Heat guard claimed he wasn't surprised to hear Irving wanted out and implied that he wouldn't mind having him as a teammate in Miami. The only problem is that Waiters is already the alpha male of that team. Why?

The struggle in growing up around violence followed Waiters all the way to the NBA. Just over a year ago, his brother was killed, resulting in him leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for a brief period. Many athletes overcome struggles and use them as motivation to persevere -- from homelessness and tragedy to slights and non-believers. Waiters has dealt with it all, it seems, and being one of the leaders of the Heat pales in comparison.

Waiters' confidence on the basketball court

Jokes used to act as grenades when it came to Waiters and his confidence on the court -- or rather, his overconfidence. He played as if he was the Reggie Miller or Ray Allen of his generation, never seeing a jump shot he wasn't willing to take. Even when LeBron James returned to Cleveland, Waiters couldn't stop hoisting up errant shots, leading to a trade during the 2014-15 season.

That mentality has never left him, but it has slowly become more and more warranted. As a rookie, he made just 31% of his three-point attempts. That number has steadily rose over the years. Last year, he made 39.4% of his three-point attempts with the Heat, the highest mark of his career. He's arguably become one of the best three-point shooters on the team.

There should be floor-spacing this season in the form of Kelly Olynyk, but the team is still built around centers that cannot shoot the ball from the perimeter. Luckily, Waiters has all the confidence in the world to hang back and sink any game-winning shots that come his way next season.
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