It’s become a tradition in today’s age for NBA stars to be commemorated with a statue outside their home arena following their retirement. The most recent player to have that honor bestowed upon him is Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Following the news, Dwyane Wade’s former Heat teammate and current friend LeBron James took to social media with his reaction.
James reposted the Heat announcement on his Instagram account under his public stories. He included several emojis as well.
The Heat organization announced on Wednesday that they intend to honor Wade with a statue right outside the steps to the team’s Kaseya Center. The unveiling of the statue will take place on Oct. 27. The Heat then plan to host ‘Dwyane Wade Statue Night’ the following day, Oct. 28 as they square off against the Detroit Pistons.
Wade will be the first Heat player to have a statue built in his honor. He is widely considered the greatest player in Heat franchise history, having helped lead the organization to three NBA championships. Wade was selected by the Heat with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. That draft also included his future teammate LeBron James.
Dwyane Wade, LeBron James ushered in winning era for Heat
Following the 2010-11 season, both James and Wade hit unrestricted free agency. Wade ended up re-signing with the team while they also grabbed James and Chris Bosh to form a new Big 3.
Although all three, and James in particular, took a lot of criticism and flak for their team-up, it was a highly successful run for the trio. The team reached four straight NBA Finals while securing two championships. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, a series in which James came under fire for what was perceived as a sub-par performance.
The Heat would rally back though, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 to win back-t0-back titles. In 2014, they were eliminated by the Spurs and the team ultimately disbanded as James went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency.
But during that four-year run, James and Wade were the best duo in the league. There’s an argument to made that had James re-signed in Miami, the team would have won more championships, provided that the front office upgraded the roster as necessary. Then James and Wade could have potentially gone down as the greatest duo in NBA history.
