NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 10: Teammates dump water on Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat after the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 10, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. This was Wade’s final game before retirement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Dwyane Wade played his final NBA game and everyone was there to see the legend go out.
It’s been an emotional few days in the general vicinity of Dwyane Wade. As his historic career comes to a close, friends, colleagues, teammates and fans are all having an opportunity to join in the celebration and show this remarkable man how much he has meant to them.
On Monday, Budweiser treated us to this memorable video of Wade interacting with people whose lives he has changed with his work off the court. On Tuesday, he played his final home game in front of the Miami fans, scoring 30-points in a win and flashing glimpses of vintage Wade. On that night, the Heat put together a tribute video, recognizing the incredible things he’s done on the court.
Wednesday was Wade’s last game, a road contest in Brooklyn. With the Heat already eliminated from the playoffs and a berth secure for the Nets, the game was focused on Wade and some of his good friends made sure they were there to share in the moments.
That’s the infamous Banana Boat crew, including former teammate LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom were drafted the same year as Wade. Along with Chris Paul, this group also spent summers together playing for Team USA.
Although he wasn’t there in person, former President Barack Obama, even took time to tweet out his congratulations to Wade and Dirk Nowitzki, who was also playing the final game of his career thousands of miles to the south in San Antonio.
The images of Wade celebrating with LeBron, Anthony and Paul are a reminder of what an incredible era of basketball we’ve just been treated too, and that it’s coming to a close. Here’s hoping whatever comes next is even half as fun as what Wade and his friends gave us.