Dwyane Wade walked his way into the Naismith Hall of Fame last season, being nominated in his first year of eligibility along with Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker. While Dirk has his own statue in Dallas, the other two didn’t with their respective franchises. That’s changing now, as Pat Reily announced that the Heat will be erecting a Wade statue to immortalize the 2006 Finals MVP.
“The Dwyane Wade statue. I wanna thank the Arison family, they’re the ones that came up with the idea, so it’s gonna be great. Good luck to you.”
Pat Riley surprises D-Wade with the announcement of a statue coming outside the Kaseya Center ⚡️
Wade will be the first statue in Miami Heat franchise history. pic.twitter.com/ZxsvsjwGKH
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2024
Pat Riley just announced Dwyane Wade will be built the first statue in franchise history, to live outside the arena. pic.twitter.com/TlBKRDQV5Y
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 15, 2024
The crowd rained down MVP chants on Wade, who had an emotional reaction to the news, clearly being surprised by the Miami organization.
“I am not the person that gets lost for words. I have too many words actually. I never dreamed of this, so I’m just so grateful. Thank the Arison family, thank the Reily family, thank the city and state of Miami and Florida. Just fall in love. I can’t wait for families to be able to experience what’s that gonna be like from all over the world and come to have a moment of the culture that’s out front.”
This was supposed to be a Hall of Fame night for Wade, as the franchise honored his induction into the Hall of Fame. He is a true Heat legend, playing 15 years with Miami and averaging 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists for that run. He was on the team for all three titles that the Heat have ever won as a franchise, leading them in 2006 and playing as the second star behind LeBron James in 2012 and 2013.
No player comes close to matching the impact Wade had on the Heat. If there’s one statue this franchise should hand out, it’s most definitely to Wade and Wade alone.
Erik Spoelstra Explained What Dwyane Wade Means To The Franchise
Erik Spoelstra revealed that the team spent a lot of time with Wade over the weekend, fondly looking at how the team bonded with a ceremony everyone respected to honor Wade. Spoelstra also revealed that he told Wade he can still become an NBA coach, despite his obvious qualms about it.
“We’re all able to experience how he was able to capture the hearts of everybody here in South Florida and not everybody can do that. There’s a lot of players that can really compete and play at this game, but not everyone can leave such an impression on you. So it was a really fun weekend, we’re able to celebrate with each other, and we’re all able to be in the same place at the same time where it’s not crammed in or after a game. So it’ll be an awesome night tonight. I was able to see him and hang out with them before the Lakers game in the coach’s office and threw it out there that if he ever wants to change the course of his career, he can always jump into coaching. His comment was like, ‘This office looks pretty lonely’.”
Erik Spoelstra speaks about Dwyane Wade’s celebration and being at the actual Hall of Fame ceremony.
Spo even revealed that if Wade wants to change his course, he can do coaching. Full response: #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/0SwuxApK1d
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2024
It doesn’t look like Wade wants to step into coaching. He’s tried going around the ownership side, owning a minority stake in the Utah Jazz since 2020. Otherwise, it seems Wade is content with retirement.
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