Three Times Dope

Future Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade’s extraordinary NBA career is coming to a close. Here, we say thank you to a true legend.

- Alex Squadron

Dwyane Wade eyes his first ever Slam cover and smiles softly at the sight of a 23-year-old version of himself.

“Man, I look way different,” he says.

He was just a kid in his second season in the NBA then, beginning to make his name and eager to write his legacy. Now that kid is on his farewell tour. He’s getting to smell his own flowers and trying to savor every moment.

Ovations in arenas he never expected. Tribute videos and jersey swaps and people traveling thousands and thousands of miles to see him take the floor. Crowds erupting whenever he checks in and chanting MVP when he’s at the free-throw line. Road games suddenly sounding like home games.

This—all of this—is way beyond anything that 23-year-old envisioned. And yet, here he is.

“I just decided to come back and do one more,” he says. It’s a Tuesday afternoon in late-February and only a few months remain before Wade walks away from playing NBA basketball forever.

“I wanted to say goodbye to my fans, I wanted to say thank you and I wanted to give them the opportunity to do the same.”

So let’s begin.

“There are moments throughout my life, and especially throughout my career, that has just been, like, wow moments,” Wade says.

Just over 24 hours later, he’s sprinting triumphantly around the court at AmericanAirlines Arena, his teammates chasing close behind. He leaps up on the edge of the scorer’s table and bangs his chest emphatically.

This is my house. This is my city. Wade has just hit an impossible game-winning three against the Golden State Warriors. After being blocked, he recovered the ball with just enough time to heave it toward the rim. It banked in.

Of all his game-winners, this one is particularly special. It’s the toughest one he’s ever made, no question. It also could be the last one.