Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are taking home one last piece of hardware shortly after their legendary playing careers have come to a close. The future Hall of Famers were named co-recipients of the National Basketball Players Association's Most Respected award on Tuesday, it was announced on Instagram.
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The Players' Voice Awards were first enacted in 2015, as player criticism of fan and media-voted awards reached a crescendo. The NBPA Players Awards, by contrast, are voted on solely by players.
Wade retired at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, ending his career after 16 years. A 13-time All-Star and eight-time All-NBA honoree, he won three championships in his career, all with the Heat, and retires as the team's all-time leader in games, minutes, points, assists, steals, and free throws among many other statistical categories. Wade, at 37, acquitted himself better than anticipated in his NBA swan song, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game for Miami while coming off the bench.
Nowitzki also retired at season's end, but kept his official plans secret until the final week of the regular season. One of the most influential players in league history due to his rare combination of size and shooting ability and status as arguably the best European player ever, he played in 14 All-Star Games and was named All-NBA 12 times.
Nowitzki's crowning achievement came in 2011, when he led the underdog Dallas Mavericks to the Larry O'Brien Trophy against Wade, LeBron James, and the Heat, avenging a heartbreaking loss to Miami in the 2007 NBA Finals during which Dwyane Wade, named MVP of the series, averaged 34.7 points per game.
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