Although Pat Riley is well-known for his impactful tenure as coach of the Lakers, he's equally as synonymous with a success of the Miami Heat. Recently, the Lakers unveiled a statue honoring Riley's contributions to the organization. During a sit-down conversation in Los Angeles on Sunday, with Wade in attendance, Riley paid tribute to Wade for his career with Miami.
“He came in as a rookie…He was great. He was gifted. He was talented… I never saw a young man work harder than Dwyane Wade to become one of the greatest players ever. Definitely the greatest player in the history of the Miami Heat.”
Wade certainly earned the title of the greatest player in Heat history. He played with the organization from 2003 to 2016 before briefly leaving to play for the Bulls and Cavaliers. He then returned in 2018 and played with the team until his retirement in 2019. In that time, Wade won three NBA championships with the team, including his legendary performance in the 2006 NBA Finals. In the Heat's historic comeback versus the Mavericks, averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. He scored 40 points two times in that series: 42 points in Game 3 and 43 points in Game 4.
His greatness continued in the Big Three era, providing a high-powered tandem with LeBron James that eventually won two more championships for the organization. With 13 NBA All-Star selections, 8 All-NBA selections, and the 2006 NBA Finals MVP award achieved in his career, Dwayne Wade earned a spot on the NBA's Top 75 players list in 2021 and etched himself in Miami Heat history.
