It’s become a tradition in the NBA to honor franchise star with statues after their retirement outside their home arena. Stars like Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal have all got their honorary statues outside their home arena. The Miami Heat recently announced they will unveil a statue to honor their franchise hero Dwyane Wade.
D-Wade was one of the cornerstones of the Heat franchise and also brought the Heat it’s first championship in 2006.
After the announcement of Dwyane Wade’s statue, his former Heat teammate LeBron James took to social media to share his reaction. James reposted the Heat announcement on his Instagram public stories with several emojis.
LeBron James on Miami Heat honoring Dwyane Wade with a statue.
The Heat revealed on Thursday that they are going to unveil Wade’s statue on October 27 and hold a statue night on October 28. pic.twitter.com/X21VyJVXBg
— Kit Guinhawa (@BeatKit22) September 12, 2024
The Heat announced their intention to honor Wade with a statue outside the team’s Kaseya Center, set to be unveiled on October 27th. They also mentioned plans for a ‘Dwyane Wade Statue Night’ on October 28th.
Wade will be the first Miami Heat player to receive such recognition. The Heat drafted Wade as the fifth overall pick in the competitive NBA Draft of 2003. Throughout his time in the league, Wade has demonstrated his superstar abilities and established himself as one of the quickest shooting guards. This impressive skill set earned him the nickname ‘The Flash’.
Wade played a crucial role in all three championship victories of the Miami Heat. Even though Wade briefly switched teams between 2016 and 2018, his loyalty and dedication to the Heat never wavered. Ultimately, Wade chose to conclude his career with Miami.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade brought a winning era to Miami Heat
In 2010, LeBron James made one of the biggest move of his career as he decided to join the Miami Heat. James joined his longtime friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a super team in Miami. The team brought a winning era to Miami with two championships and four straight trips to the finals.
In the beginning, the media criticized the Heat for their slow start. However, once the team found their rhythm, they became unstoppable and dominated the regular season and playoffs.
Despite facing an embarrassing loss in the finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat bounced back with vengeance, silencing their critics. In the following two finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the Heat came out on top, winning two championships. However, they lost to the Spurs in the 2014 NBA finals bringing an end to their era.
Both James and Wade played significant roles in the Heat’s Big 3 era, actively bailing the team out during tough situations. While Wade took a backseat to James, he still starred and provided clutch buckets for the team. The duo of Wade and James will certainly be remembered as one of the best duos in NBA history. Their contributions to the Heat’s success were undeniable.
