Ask anyone above the age of 35 from South Florida who their favorite athlete is - more likely than not you’re going to hear “Dan Marino” without any hesitation. But ask someone born in the 90’s, like myself, and my guess is you’ll hear a different name.
There’s no denying the Dolphins impact on the city of Miami from the 70’s to the early 2000’s but by the time I could actually understand and absorb sports as a young fan, it was the Miami HEAT captivating the Magic City.
And there was always one constant throughout the organization's biggest moments: Dwyane Wade.
The greatest player to ever suit up in a Miami HEAT jersey will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Springfield, Massachusetts. Wade is not only my favorite athlete of all time, but he’s also a huge reason I became such a massive sports fan leading to my pursuit of a career in broadcasting. Now, as a lifelong HEAT fan who grew up wanting nothing more than to work for the organization, I am somehow lucky enough to be broadcasting before, during and after HEAT games from the Kaseya Center for WQAM’s HEAT broadcasts - and I owe it all to Dwyane Wade.
To celebrate his career and what he meant to a young kid born and raised in Miami Dade-County, here are my personal top ten Dwyane Wade memories throughout his NBA career.
10 - Heat draft Dwyane Wade 5th overall in 2003
The important thing to remember here: NOT Chris Kaman. A massive thank you to Detroit for taking Darko Miličić. Another thank you to Toronto for taking Chris Bosh (we’ll see you soon, CB) Pat Riley decided it was going to be the kid from Robins, Illinois with the 5th overall pick. The 6-foot-four guard out of Marquette. This was the official start to the greatest draft pick in South Florida sports history and arguably the best decision in Pat Riley’s career as an executive. Who knows what would have happened if the Pistons don’t make one of the worst decisions in NBA history but I don’t want to live in the universe where it happens. Here’s what I do know: our organization got it right.
9 - Wade’s game winner vs the Hornets in the 2004 playoffs
Wade’s first BIG shot in the playoffs and it came in his rookie season. The iconic call from Tony Fiorentino on Sunshine Network: “Yeah Baby … Stan Van Gundy went to the rookie and he delivered” – I’ll never forget that line from the Coach. Not only does Wade beat Baron Davis to the paint after a vicious between-the-legs crossover dribble but he elevates and sinks a beautiful floater to win game 1 of the series. Not many rookies would be trusted with the responsibility of winning a playoff game but it became evident that night the HEAT didn’t draft just any rookie. It would have been impossible to know that night but we had just witnessed the first of many clutch moments from #3 in the NBA Playoffs.
8 – Dwyane Wade playing with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics
Dwyane Wade at the Olympics was officially BACK and showcased his resurgence on an international stage. He led the team in scoring off the bench with 16 ppg and was key in the Gold Medal game vs Spain. The two seasons that followed the 06 Championship campaign leading up to the Olympics were certainly underwhelming for Wade and the organization. From getting swept by the Chicago Bulls in the ’07 playoffs (Luol Deng in that series still gives me nightmares) to the 15 win season in 07-08 where we saw Wade miss time due to injury and Shaq traded to the Suns - it was a concerning time for Miami right? Spo beginning his tenure as a rookie head coach after Riley retired from the sideline and a young star who couldn’t stay healthy. But any questions surrounding Wade’s durability and overall ability to return to a championship level were answered in China that summer. Watching him star alongside Kobe Bryant, LeBron and Bosh was unforgettable for HEAT fans who stayed up till 4 am to witness it. And, maybe more importantly, it proved to be the start of an important relationship between Wade and two other superstars on that team.
7 – The Anderson Varajao Poster
This play is probably D-Wade’s most iconic highlight. Any YouTube search of Wade includes this memorable jam where he left Varajao on his back totally humiliated. The play happens in 2009, one year after his scoring title, when he had cemented himself as a Superstar once again. Plus, going up against LeBron James - it was always a game you knew you’d see something special. And #3 delivered. We can’t forget to thank Jermaine O’Neal (rare great memory of him) for blocking LeBron in the first place - this allowed Flash to grab the board and just meander up the floor before he decided to lift off over a helpless Varajao. I remember being in the crowd knowing I had just witnessed a certain SportsCenter Top 10 highlight.
6 – Wade’s game winner vs the Warriors in 2019
The ‘One Last Dance’ season had so many great memories but it’s hard to argue against this shot being the best of his final season in the league. I get this team doesn’t make the playoffs but there’s always something special about thinking back to Wade rocking the black vice jersey, taking a pass from Dion Waiters!!!!! and hitting a circus three to beat the seemingly unbeatable Warriors with Curry and Durant. But even better than the shot was his celebration - one last jump onto the scorers table after a game winner. We needed it and he provided it in typical, dramatic Dwyane Wade fashion.
Before I get to my final five - some honorable mentions. These moments didn’t make my list but deserve recognition also:
Purple shirt guy: this entire series vs Charlotte was fun but game 6, in Charlotte, down 3-2… Wade knocking down clutch threes to win the game and send it back to Miami and eventually win Game 7. But even better was him shutting up that clown in a god-awful purple button-down shirt who didn’t realize he made the biggest mistake of his life.
Wade’s triple-double in his final game ever: chefs kiss that he cemented the triple-double with an assist to UD for a jumper. An iconic HEAT moment that turned into a must-have Court Culture t-shirt.
THE alley-oop to Shaq vs Cleveland in 2006: You don’t even have to watch the video and I know you can remember the play. Dribbles around Pavlovic on the sideline and delivers a dime to Shaq for the throw down. There are so many great Wade-Shaq plays but this one lives rent free in my mind forever.
The coolest picture in NBA history: I could have picked any Wade to LeBron lob - and there’s so many to choose from. But ironically, despite so many on social media thinking this was a lob, it wasn’t. Perhaps better camera work than anything else but it’s one of those images you always picture when discussing the Big 3 Era in South Beach.
All of the championships: Since this blog is focusing on individual moments, I leave out the three rings he won. Those trophies were pretty cool, too. I could probably write 30 blogs on my favorite Wade games / moments during those championship runs but we’ll have to revisit at another time.
5 – The release of his first signature shoe in 2006
The Converse Wade 1. Ahhhh, I remember the release like it was yesterday. All black sneaker with .08 written into the shoe in memory of his game winning shot in 2004 vs Charlotte and in 2005 in MSG – both game winners with 8-tenths of a second left on the clock. I know actual sneaker heads are going to lose their mind when I say this but these are my all time favorite shoes. Wade rocked them in the regular season in 2006 and then pulled out the black and white playoff color way which he wore throughout the 2006 playoffs. Every single kid in Miami had a pair of Converse Wade 1’s. Didn’t matter what park you went to or what gym you pulled up in. But what was even cooler was Wade bringing his iconic original sneaker back in 2009 for his MV3 season. The return of the Flash. He made Converse cool again.
4 – The forming of the Big 3
It’s hard to remember it now but there really was no absolute guarantee Wade was returning in 2010 - the idea he’d leave to Chicago (or worse the Knicks) was a worry that offseason. I even recall having a legit conversation with my brother where he talked me into “Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer if Wade leaves, bro. It’ll be alright.” I remember the HEAT launching the ‘We Want Wade’ campaign and even placed Burnie on top of the Triple-A until Wade resigned. His appearance on Sportscenter with Michael Wilbon alongside Chris Bosh was a huge relief for Miami. It obviously gets overshadowed by the following night when LeBron turned the world upside down. But we can’t forget that none of it happens with out Dwyane Wade.
3 – Wade's return to Miami in 2018
This announcement basically came out of nowhere. The Woj bomb in the middle of the day. I remember working the Big O show on 560 WQAM and it was one of the greatest shows I’ve ever been apart of as we celebrated his return. I always joked that Wade leaving to Chicago was the biggest heartbreak I’ve ever endured but the lame truth is I wasn’t joking - that sh*t was true. That summer night in 2016 was ROUGH. But having Wade return in that fashion - checking into the game rocking the white vice jersey and hearing Mike Baiamonte announce his name … chills, bro. The joy Pat Riley gave us that day minutes before the end of the trade deadline was crazy. We always knew the key was under the mat for Wade and finally, he was back home.
2 – The 2006 NBA Finals
Down 13-points in the 4th quarter in game 3 with 6:15 remaining - staring down a potential 0-3 hole vs. Dallas, Wade looks at Pat Riley and utters the iconic, "I ain't going out like this." Scores 10 points in the final six minutes to win Game 3 in Miami. Averages nearly 40 points over three more wins en route to the first HEAT Championship. That moment where he rebounds the Jason terry miss and launches the ball up into the air gives me goose bumps every single time I think of it. A new generation of HEAT fans was born with that moment. I was a 12 year old obsessed with the HEAT and I’ll never forget that feeling. There was no choice for me after that series - not only would I forever be a HEAT Lifer but I would forever be a fan of Dwyane Wade.
1 – Wade’s “This is my House” game winner vs Bulls
It’s impossible for me not to choose this game/shot as Wade’s greatest moment because it will always elicit a special memory. Here’s the story: my brother and I went to every HEAT game together for years. We didn’t miss a game since the ’04 season - seriously. In 2009, I was a freshman in High school and had a huge chemistry project due the following day which of course I hadn’t started yet. On the way to the game I told my brother we should leave around the 4th quarter so I could hit Walmart on the way home and buy some supplies to do the project overnight… let’s just say I ended up getting an F on that project. The hug my brother and I shared when Wade ripped Salmons and hit that shot was like we had won the lottery. Just marveling at this dude in the El HEAT jersey standing on top of the scorers table telling us it was his house as if it was possible to think otherwise. I remember getting home at around 1am and immediately turning on SportsCenter. The conversation was only about Wade and his shot. They were discussing his case for MVP and I couldn’t stop watching that replay over and over again. Wade was already my favorite athlete before that night and he was having this magical season but there was something special about moment - him declaring it was his house. I would have ran through a wall for him after that night. It’s the greatest memory I have of my favorite athlete of all time.