Miami Heat to retire Dwyane Wade's jersey in three-day celebration
The Miami Heat have decided to go a little extra to honor the best player in franchise history.
The team announced it will have a three-day celebration to honor the retirement of former guard Dwyane Wade’s jersey. The event, dubbed “L3GACY” takes place Feb. 21-23.
The jersey will be officially retired at halftime of the Heat’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 22.
“As teams develop and evolve, there are many players who could be labeled the face of a franchise, then there are those that rise above that,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “In my opinion, with all due respect to others, Dwyane Wade has been the face of this franchise. I am so delighted that Dwyane is going to be honored by having his jersey retired. He is so deserving.”
Wade will become the fifth player in team history to have his jersey retired. The others are Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh. Last year Wade completed his 16th and final season in the NBA.
A future Hall of Famer, Wade retired as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. He was a 13-time All-Star and helped lead the Heat to three championships, including back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 while teaming with LeBron James. Wade played his first 13 years with the Heat before shockingly leaving as a free agent before the start of the 2016-17 season. He played 1 ½ seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers before returning to the Heat for the final 21 games in 2017.
He is generally considered the league's third-best shooting in history behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
