"After LeBron left the Heat in 2014, I decided to give it one more go" - Dwyane Wade on realizing he's already in his twilight years
Dwyane Wade and LeBron James
© Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports
One way or another, a decline will happen to all NBA stars. Some are in denial, while others welcome father time with open arms. Former Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade belonged to the latter.
Sensing the beginning of the end
In his prime, D-Wade was unreal. He led the Heat to its first championship in franchise history in 2006 and was the best scorer in the league in 2009. Things even kicked up a notch when LeBron James joined him in Miami in 2010. The pair won two NBA titles, but like any other fairytale, Wade’s glory days also came to an end.
According to D-Wade, LeBron’s departure in 2014 marked the beginning of the end for him. However, he opted to carry on and that’s when he realized his body was already saying, no.
“It’s funny how things work. I went through a point in my career, after going to the Finals every year, where my body started breaking down. After LeBron left [the Heat] in 2014, I decided to give it one more go,” Wade told The Washington Post in 2021. “I felt so bad that year. I had a solid year, but everything hurt. Every move hurt. My knees were in trouble. I didn’t like it. I remember talking to my business manager and saying: ‘I don’t know if I’m going to keep going. I think I might retire. I think I may be done.’”
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There was a little bit left in the Flash tank
Wade entered the 2015-16 season convinced that “Flash” was no longer the lethal superhuman-like player he used to be. But with slight modifications in his regimens, D-Wade still managed to be in fine form, finishing the season with 19 points per game.
However, Wade didn’t choose to waive off aging this time and rode off into the sunset at age 37. Of course, D-Wade knew there was no better way to end his stellar career with Miami.
“I wind up getting with another trainer, changing the way I did things, adding all these people to my team, doing yoga and everything. I end up feeling better and better. Once I got to my last year, I actually didn’t feel bad; I just didn’t have the explosiveness or quickness because I was older. You start questioning yourself a little bit, ‘Hmm, should I [keep playing]?’ But it was time for me to move out of the way,” Wade admitted.
Regardless of how his career ended, Wade, without a doubt, is a true legend of the game.
