Dwyane Wade is one of the best basketball players of the last 25 years. In fact, he ranked 11th in our CBS Sports’ top 25 players of the 21st century. He’s a three-time champion, 13-time All-Star first-ballot Hall of Famer and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. And that’s just a small snapshot of his accolades. He’s six years removed from throwing on his iconic No. 3 jersey and has since started a career as a basketball analyst, both in the podcast space and on television.
As he prepares for his new gig as a member of NBA on Amazon Prime’s broadcast crew, Wade shared when he knew it was time to retire.
“Once I knew that I didn’t have that special quality anymore, that I lost all my powers and I became a regular basketball player, the game was not as fun as it used to be,” Wade told GQ.
Wade spent 14 years of his 16-year career operating at peak levels. Even at 35-years old, he was still averaging 18.3 points a game, something only seven other players have accomplished since 2000. But those last two seasons saw a downturn in production from one of the league’s most efficient scorers when he was in his prime.
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It’s a situation most professional athletes go through when they’re reaching their twilight years. Perhaps the only two people it hasn’t impacted are LeBron James and Tom Brady, two titans who have defied father time. Brady played until he was 45 and won a Super Bowl at 43. James is about to turn 41 in December and is still operating at All-NBA levels. While James is set to miss his first season opener in his record-breaking 23rd season due to sciatica, there still isn’t a more feared image for opponents than James driving full speed into the lane with the objective of finishing at the rim when healthy.
Wade was once that way, too. He wasn’t quite the physical specimen James is, but his quickness and athleticism made him one of the most difficult players to guard.
“When you had the career I had, you don’t envy someone else’s journey,” Wade said. “I got everything out of the game of basketball that I possibly wanted.”
Wade wasn’t just one of the best players in the league, he was one of the most popular, too. His talent transcended the Miami Heat fanbase, so it wasn’t uncommon to see No. 3 Wade jerseys overflowing at away arenas whenever he and the Heat came to town. Fans chanting his name — or booing him — is a feeling that can’t be replicated outside of the NBA, and while he likely doesn’t miss back-to-back games, or the grind of an 82-game regular season, there is one thing the Hall of Famer misses.
“What I do miss is being better than people,” Wade said. “I miss being good at something, really good at it.”
