Dwyane Wade's Jersey Retired by Heat

Dwyane Wade's No. 3 jersey was lifted into the rafters of AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday.

In a halftime ceremony, Wade became the fifth player to have his jersey retired by the Miami Heat, following No. 33 Alonzo Mourning, No. 10 Tim Hardaway, No. 1 Chris Bosh and No. 23 Michael Jordan. Wade spent 15 seasons in Miami, highlighted by three championships, 13 All-Star appearances and a 2005-06 Finals MVP trophy. 

The Heat celebrated Wade's career throughout the weekend as part of a three-night celebration. During Saturday's jersey retirement, Wade became emotional while he addressed the crowd and reflected on words from the late Kobe Bryant. 

"Kobe said the most important thing is to try to inspire others so they can be great in whatever they try to do," Wade said. "I hope I inspired you. Thank you for making me a part of your legacy. Please know you're a huge part of mine."

After the game, Wade expanded on the impact Bryant's death has had on his life. 

"The impact that the passing of Kobe has done on myself and so many others is it's made us sit down and stop," Wade said. "Life goes so fast. We move at a rapid pace. It's made me enjoy the moment more. It's made me want to create more memories. It definitely put a lot of things in perspective. As athletes, we're looked at as superheroes. We looked at Kobe as a superhero. 

"That moment has touched all of us and will continue to. Kobe was leading the way -- he retired and showed us in his next act after retirement that you can master that as well. He mastered basketball, he mastered being an amazing father, he mastered being a husband, he mastered being a creator. He was showing us the way and now we don't have that. So I do have a responsibility to be that guy and show the way for the next generation."

In his speech, Wade thanked his family, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, his late agent Henry Thomas, Heat fans, former teammates, coaches and more. After the game, Spoelstra described what sets Wade apart from others. 

"He has all the qualities of a champion, a winner, a Hall of Fame player and talent but his humanity, empathy and ability to articulate his feelings separates him from everyone else," Spoelstra said. "It was hard not to get emotional at halftime. It was awesome for our players to see that."

Wade also saw the retirement ceremony as the start of a new legacy for his 18-year-old son, Zaire. As they walked onto the court at halftime, Wade had a message for his son.

"This is it," Wade said. "I'm getting out of your way now."

Ultimately, Wade expressed that he is proud of his legacy in helping others in the game, a connection he will continue to hold no matter his post-NBA endeavors. 

"I'm most proud that I've inspired different generations to want to be better, to want to be greater, to want to do things they never thought they would," Wade said. "My goal is to bring people with me and lift others up along the way. That's legacy. When you're able to change someone's life and help their families have generational wealth. It's not how many points I score or how many times I dunk the ball. That's not legacy to me. Legacy to me is how much change I can create."

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