Today, TIME Magazine revealed the 11th annual TIME 100, TIME's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.  The magazine included 17-time major champion Serena Williams on this list among a handful of internationally renowned athletes.  Miami Heat star and three-time NBA champion Dwayne Wade discussed why Serena belongs in the most influential 100.

“Serena is a friend, but I also look up to her as a fellow athlete,” said Wade in an excerpt from the magazine. “She deserves all of her success, because she is one of the most hardworking and disciplined people I know. She is a world-class athlete and a true champion in every sense of the word. Serena is on a mission—and how amazing that we all get to witness it.”

About this year's TIME 100, Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs writes,  “The TIME 100 is a list of the world’s most influential men and women, not its most powerful…. The vast majority of this year’s roster reveals that while power is certain, influence is subtle. Power is a tool, influence is a skill…. If there is a common theme in many of the tributes, it’s the eagerness to see what some engineer, actor, leader or athlete will do next. As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming..”

Readers can find the rest of Wade's article on Serena and the articles on the rest of the TIME 100 at time. com.