Dwyane Wade gets a bronze medal! NBA legends were honored by the Miami Heat during last night’s game, which included an announcement that the franchise will unveil a statue of Wade, 41, outside its Kasey Center home later this year.
Wade, a three-time NBA champion who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, said he was honored by the news.
“I didn’t dream this,” Wade said, choking back tears after the surprise announcement. “I’m so grateful. I can’t wait for that day. I’m excited.”
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Dwayne Wade.
Amy Sussman/Getty
Former Heat head coach Pat Riley surprised Wade during a ceremony at center court and revealed the news that Miami plans to put an 8-ft. statue outside the stadium later this fall.
“We wanted to make sure he was bigger than Shaquille O’Neal,” laughed Riley, 78.
“When we retired his jersey in February 2020, I said Dwyane was the face of this franchise forever and I meant it,” Wade’s former coach added in a statement following the announcement. “Dwyane’s legacy is great not only for the Miami Heat but for Miami-Wade County. I can’t think of a better way to honor him than to commemorate that legacy.”
Riley coached Wade and O’Neal to their first NBA championship in 2006. Wade won two more championships in Miami along with LeBron James in 2012 and 2013. Wade, a 13-time NBA All-Star, played most of his 16 -year career for Miami except for two short seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his hometown Chicago Bulls.
Wade leads the Heat franchise in nearly every major category, including games played (948) and points scored (21,556).
“I was born and raised in Chicago, but I grew up here,” Wade said. “From 21 to 37, I grew up here. A lot of fans grew up with me… There’s no love like love in Miami, and every time I come back here I feel it.”
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Dwayne Wade.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty
Miami’s current roster, which includes Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, remained on the bench to watch the ceremony for Wade. After the announcement, Wade hugged family members as the crowd chanted, “MVP! MVP!”
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Last year, the father of five told PEOPLE he was “extremely grateful” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame by one of his heroes, Allen Iverson.
“It means everything to me,” he said, adding, “I’m just super, super grateful to be able to go into the Hall of Fame knowing that I have so much love and so much support from the people of my village.”
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Source: HIS Education