It was the actual last dance for Michael Jordan (Wizards). Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were going for a fourth straight championship for the LA Lakers. All the contenders wanted a big to help guard against Shaq. At the other end of the spectrum, teams tanked all season for the rights to high school phenom LeBron James—a real haves and have-nots kind of league. In March 2003, a guard from little-known Marquette University stole the spotlight from ALL of them.
The famed Kentucky Wildcats were favorites to win the March Madness tournament that year. Dwyane Wade ended their dreams with an unprecedented triple-double in the Elite Eight, sending Marquette to their third-ever Final Four and capturing the imagination of basketball fans everywhere. That performance made the 2003 NBA Draft look deeper than anyone could envision. But where would a dynamic guard like Dwyane Wade be drafted in a league now dominated by big men and scoring wings? Enter the Miami Heat.
Reports at the time were that the Heat wanted Chris Bosh out of Georgia Tech. Bosh was drafted one spot ahead of Miami by the Toronto Raptors. That meant all the most intriguing big men were off the board for a team desperate to replace All-Star/Olympian Alonzo Mourning (absent for the season due to a kidney ailment). Dwyane Wade made for the greatest consolation prize in NBA history.
Dwyane Wade aka The Flash
The dynamic play was there from the beginning. As were the injuries. It was dangerous for guards to play the way he did amongst the tall trees in the paint. What made Wade special was that in that intense, frenetic pace was a cerebral baller who made plays when it counted. He didn’t have to demand the basketball for the ball to find him during crunch time. His coach didn’t have to draw up a play, either. Wade was a magnet for the ball, a magnet for the defense, and a magnet for the eyes of the audience. His rookie year culminated in a mesmerizing first-round victory over the Hornets and a near upset of the Eastern Conference favorite Indiana Pacers. Heat President put all his eggs in the Dwyane Wade basket that offseason, trading away all of Wade’s best teammates to pair him with an elite big man, Shaquille O’Neal.
Severely bruised ribs hampered Wade in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals (as well as the flu and a knee strain). The following year, Wade had one of the most memorable runs in NBA Finals history, averaging 34 points per game in a six-game upset of the Dallas Mavericks: the Miami Heat’s first championship and the coronation of their first superstar.
Dwyane Wade later teamed with both LeBron James and Chris Bosh and ran off four straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning twice. The flash to his game was only dampened by the injury bug that crept up routinely, namely to his left knee and shoulder. Wade briefly left the team to pursue the dream of playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls. After a brief stint with the Bulls and Cavaliers, he was welcomed back to South Beach before retiring with the Heat in 2019.
The Accolades
Three-time NBA champion, Finals MVP, Gold Medal Olympian, and this past weekend inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Awesome accolades. However, here are some lesser-known facts and stats regarding Dwyane Wade.
- Arguably the most incredible collection of in-their-prime talent was the 2008 Redeem Team, Team USA’s Olympic basketball team. This team was put together to avenge Team USA’s 2004 Olympic defeat and had big-time names like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo Anthony dotting the roster. Dwyane Wade led that team in scoring (16 points per game) en route to a Gold Medal.
- Dwyane Wade is Mr. Miami Heat, but he never led the team in annual salary. Wade’s highest Heat salary was $20,000,000 in 2015-2016, second to Chris Bosh. He had to go to Chicago to lead the Bulls in annual compensation that season.
- Dwyane Wade has the most blocked shots for a guard in NBA history (885). In second place is his childhood idol, Michael Jordan.
- Wade was the fourth rookie since the shot clock era to lead his team in points and assists during the postseason. He made the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds left in his first-ever playoff game.
- Dwyane Wade leads the Heat franchise in nearly every statistical category, including points, assists, free throws, and minutes played.
- Dwyane Wade was among the first American-born NBA stars to sign with a Chinese shoe brand, Li-Ning.
- Dwyane Wade is the first player to use the behind-and-between crossover as an offensive weapon in the NBA.
Patent‼️ I did this move in a summer league game in HS. After watching Jordan do his cross over pull back on Byron Russell. I wanted to do the same but the defender was too close so i had to go behind&between my legs. This move was born out of necessity and became unstoppable! https://t.co/zWMOdnNtxY
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 7, 2019
Dwyane Wade Post Career
Embed from Getty ImagesMany players ride quietly into the sunset after retirement with little heard from them. Not Dwyane Wade. Wade owns a minority stake in the Utah Jazz and is a regular at Jazz games. His son, Zaire Wade, was drafted by the NBA G-League’s Salt Lake City Stars in 2021. His wife is actress Gabrielle Union, and together, they welcomed a daughter, Kaavia James, in 2018. He also owns a wine company called Wade Cellars which has been growing in popularity nationwide. You can also find Wade on television’s The Cube as a gameshow host.
A teammate. A friend. A family member. Much love, @DwyaneWade ❤️ #WadeHOF pic.twitter.com/PDCqC3BVCo
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 10, 2023
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