The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night in what was Dwyane Wade's last trip to Dallas throughout his storied NBA career, and afterward, he and Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, both of whom will be retiring at season's end, exchanged jerseys.
Iconic jersey swap between @swish41 and @DwyaneWade 🙌 pic.twitter.com/K56XiAE42D
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) February 14, 2019
There is certainly a lot of history between Nowitzki and Wade.
The rivalry began back in 2006 when the Mavs and Heat met in the finals. Dallas took a 2-0 lead in the series and seemed primed to take home a title, but Wade led Miami to four straight wins in one of the greatest finals performances ever to help the Heat win their first NBA championship.
Then, five years later, the Mavs and the Heat met yet again. This time, Miami not only featured Wade but LeBron James and Chris Bosh as well.
Heavily favored to win the series, the Heat took Game 1 and were up by double digits late in Game 2 before the Mavs stormed back in the fourth quarter to even the series.
Nowitzki went on to have a legendary performance in the finals, leading the Mavs to a six-game victory over Wade and the Heat.
Now, eight years later, Nowitzki and Wade will serve as special additions to the All-Star Game, giving fans one last chance to watch the two future Hall of Famers in one of basketball's biggest events.
Nowitzki will also be participating in the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
Miami snapped a three-game losing streak with the win over Dallas, but it has gone just 5-10 over its last 15 games to plummet in the Eastern Conference standings.
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