One Last Dance.
Stiffness. Nervousness. You’d think after 15 seasons in the NBA, a 3x NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, 13x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First Team, and 3x NBA All-Defensive second team, would have been through all the emotions. This time it was different. It’s never felt like this before for D-Wade.
It was just last summer of 2018, Dwyane Wade was contemplating retirement. He made it clear on April 17th, 2018 that if he was to return for one more season, it would be as a member of the Miami Heat. Here’s what Wade had to say at the time:
“Just taking time to think, that's all I'm doing, taking time to think and looking at every angle and what's the best situation for me to be in. A lot of people think that if you do decide to go out it's because you weren't supposed to be able to play no more. It's not always supposed to be that."
D-Wade couldn’t have announced it better than this.
ONE LAST DANCE.
This was it. D-Wade returning for one last season as a member of the Miami Heat. Fast forward 7 months and we are hours away from bidding one of the greatest guards to ever play the game. The city of Miami drafted the young Wade out of Marquette University with the 5th overall pick (the highest any player from Marquette has been drafted). Little did the city of Miami know that they would one day bring together the 1st pick and the 4th pick of that 2003 draft class to team up with D-Wade on the Heat. However, before that super team was formed, Wade led Miami to their first ever NBA championship with Shaquille O’Neal. He put Miami on the map in the NBA.
The Big Three
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
That 2006 championship victory instantly made D-Wade one of the most loved players in Heat history. Finally, Southern Florida became a legitimate landing spot. Lebron James and Chris Bosh decided to sign with Wade and the Miami Heat, creating the "Big Three". The trio went on to lose their first finals appearance to the Dallas Mavericks, however, they responded well and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder the year after. James and Bosh notched their first NBA Championship as Wade earned his second. Miami was just getting heated up as they came back for the 2012-13 season to repeat as back to back champions. Then the 2013-14 season would mark the beginning to the end for the trio. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh would end their illustrious time together in Miami the way it started… with a loss in the Finals. This time to the San Antonio Spurs who took vengeance on the big three for their loss in the Finals the previous season.
King James went on to reunite with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and made 4 straight finals appearances, notching 1 Larry O’Brien trophy. Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade departed Miami to join his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2017 offseason. He went on to team up with Rajon Rondo and the disgruntled Jimmy Butler, with the trio being coined as the “Three Alphas”. That stint wouldn’t last too long as Wade and LeBron got reunited together again in Cleveland in September of 2017. That stint did not last too long with Wade and former Cavalier head coach Tyrone Lue balking at one another, Wade got demoted to the bench role after a mere 3 games into his time with the Cavs. Shortly before the trade deadline on February 8th, 2018, the Cavaliers committed to a massive overhaul to their roster. The Cavaliers wanted to “do right” with Wade which meant sending him back to Miami.
Au Revoir.
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The story continues to this day, down to its last 30 hours. The ending is the most beautiful part of it all. The Miami Heat franchise leader in games (946+), points (21,501+), assists (5,297+), steals (1,492+), 4th most rebounds (4,468+), and 2nd most blocks (810+)…or #3. It’s never goodbye.
One man. One dream. One last dance. Thank you Dwyane for showing us how to be as humble as you. Thank you Dwyane for everything you did for the league and the city of Miami.Thank you Dwyane for the countless memories.Thank you Dwyane for leaving the game better than you found it.Thank you Dwyane. -thefanalyst.
