Last night, the Miami Heat honored their franchise’s greatest player with a statue outside Kaseya Center. The bronze statue of Dwyane Wade honored one of his most iconic moments as a Heat player, a moment that dates back 15 years but is probably still fresh in the minds of Miami fans.
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On March 9th, 2009, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls were in town to take on Wade’s Heat. Through the first three quarters, Miami had built a ten-point lead. But behind a flaming hot Ben Gordon, the Bulls would claw back in the fourth quarter. The Flash would then nail a three to tie the game in the final few seconds, sending it to overtime and eventually, to double-overtime.
When the second OT was drawing to a close, the game was still tied at 127-127. Wade had played 50 minutes already but remained engaged on the court, intent on putting the game to bed in the final six seconds. And that’s exactly what he did.
Wade stripped John Salmons near the charity stripe of the Heat’s basket and put the burners on to get the ball to the opposite basket. Unfortunately, there were less than 4 seconds on the clock when #3 took possession of the ball.
Ben Gordon chased the Flash as he ran down the court but he couldn’t stop D-Wade from putting up a Hail Mary. And of course, his floater from behind the arc swished right through the net as the buzzer sounded. In all his exhaustion and euphoria, Wade ran to the scorers table and jumped on top of it to directly address the packed arena in Miami. “This is my house!“, the 2006 Finals MVP proclaimed.
Wade reflected later in his career that he had dreamed of that moment and stated, “To me, that’s my number one [moment].” Thankfully, the Heat front office took note and ensured that his favorite moment would forever be enshrined in his house.
D-Wade remains Miami’s greatest basketball player
Dwyane Wade and his family were in attendance outside Kaseya Center yesterday to celebrate the first statue erected by the Miami Heat. The 36-year-old franchise honored their franchises’ leading points-getter and the cornerstone of their three NBA championships.
President of the Miami Heat and the NBA’s ‘Godfather’, Pat Riley, commented, “As the greatest player ever in Miami Heat history, yes, it’s his day, it’s his family’s day.”
D-Wade isn’t just the greatest Heat player because of the length of his tenure. After all, Udonis Haslem was right alongside Wade in Miami from 2003. It was the Flash’s commitment to helping his team win that makes him the greatest.
That iconic game in 2009 saw Wade fill up the box score with 48 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Not only did the Flash do everything and then some on the floor, he also sacrificed the most in 2010 when the Heat formed their Big Three.
Some fans were left disappointed by how the Miami Heat paid him back for his loyalty. The statue that was unveiled yesterday didn’t exactly do justice to the likeness of the 13-time All-Star. Even D-Wade himself was left confused as he quipped, “Who is that guy?”
