Dwyane Wade appeared in the All-Star Game for his 13th and last time in his 16-year career, looking back at the countless memories he's accumulated through the years and the legacy he left behind before his impending retirement.
“Whatever my legacy is and whatever it will become, it's what I've been building since anybody ever heard my name or before that,” said Wade, soon turning his attention to the remainder of the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “So at the end of the day, when it's over, I think that the respect that I've been getting from fans around the world, fans in arenas, the players that I'm playing against, that's the thing that makes me fill my heart with joy. Because I just want a respect for what I bring to the table, and that's in both on the court and off the court. And I've been getting that.”
“So I've just got to keep it going. I'm 37 years old, I'm a young man in life. I've got a long life ahead of me, and I'm destined to do other things that's great. So see what that is.”
Wade is choosing to retire in his own terms, before his game has declined so much that he is merely a mentor or just a symbol for this Heat team.
Unlike his previous season, Wade is playing significant minutes for Miami — minutes that are significant in quantity and substance, as the Heat are in the thick of playoff race.
His 14 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game are no longer the All-Star-caliber numbers he once put up in his heyday, but they are proving just as valuable in the last few games he has left in his legs before calling it a career.
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