Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is wrapping up a retirement tour for the ages. He has been recognized by many around the game on each stop he makes in his final season. The dozens of gifts and acknowledgments Wade has received show the unanimous respect and love the NBA feels for Wade.
But the gift Wade received on Saturday might top them all. Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski sent Wade an honorary Duke jersey, thanking him for his impact on the game.
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While Wade didn't attend Duke — he's a Marquette University alum — he and Coach K have crossed paths on more than one occasion. Perhaps the most notable time the two worked together was when Krzyzewski coached Wade on the 2008 Olympic team. The team won the gold medal, and Krzyzewski praised Wade's work as the team's sixth man.
Krzyzewski has coached Duke since 1980. He has led the team to five national championships, second in college basketball history only to the late John Wooden, who led UCLA to ten titles. Krzyzewski is also the winningest head coach in college basketball history, at any level, with 1,132 career victories. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Wade is likely headed for the Hall of Fame himself. The Miami legend is wrapping up a 16-season career that included 13 All-Star appearances and three championships. In his final season, Wade is still averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in a bench role.
With only three games left, the Heat are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. At 38-41, they are a game behind the Detroit Pistons for the final spot in the Eastern Conference.
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