Last week, Miami Heat president Pat Riley announced that Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade is set to get a statue outside the team’s arena as an homage to his contributions to the franchise. Wade’s close friend and retired NBA superstar, Carmelo Anthony, was overjoyed by the news. But he couldn’t resist taking a shot at Riley and the Heat while discussing the subject.
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During the latest episode of his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony said:
“Shoutout to Pat [Riley] and Miami. Because you guys been retiring everybody else’s jerseys forever. MJ! (laughs) You know what I am saying? I’m surprised MJ don’t got a statue in Miami.”
In 2003, the Heat retired six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan’s #23 jersey following his third and final retirement from the NBA. Oddly, Jordan had never played for the franchise. During the retirement ceremony, Riley had said, “In honor of your greatness and for all you’ve done for the game of basketball – and not just the NBA, but for all the fans around the world – we want to honor you tonight and hang your jersey, No. 23, from the rafters. No one will ever wear No. 23 for the Miami Heat. You’re the best.”
Until 2009, Jordan’s #23 jersey was the only one hanging from the rafters. Since then, former Heat stars Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh, Wade, and Udonis Haslem have joined the Bulls icon in having their jersey numbers retired. Miami’s decision to retire MJ’s jersey has often been ridiculed by many in the NBA community. Even though the decision seemed apt at the time of Jordan’s decorated farewell from the NBA, the move has lost its gravity with time. It is safe to say that posterity sees Riley’s decision to retire #23 as a bit dramatic, echoing similar sentiments as Melo.
As a matter of fact, Riley was willing to unretire the #23 jersey to land Jimmy Butler. The guard had worn that number for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Butler turned down the offer and opted to wear #22 instead. The veteran star has led the Heat to two NBA Finals since joining the franchise. In hindsight, it’s evident why Riley was willing to unretire Jordan’s #23 jersey as a gift to Butler.
Carmelo Anthony pays tribute to Dwyane Wade
After joking about the Heat retiring Michael Jordan’s jersey, Carmelo Anthony gave the franchise credit for honoring Dwyane Wade with a statue. He said:
“Shoutout to Pat [Riley], man. And the whole of the Miami Heat organization. People stepping up to the plate and really giving D-Wade his flowers, man. Thank you to Miami for doing what they’re doing. Doing it now, before D-Wade was 70 years old.”
Anthony also paid homage to his close friend and called him the best shooting guard of his era. He said, “I don’t think people understand how bad of a motherf**ker D-Wade was. Bro, he was probably the best at shot creation. When he was on his s**t, arguably he was the best two guard in the league at one point in time.”
That’s quite the praise, considering Wade’s competition for the best shooting guard of his era was five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant. While the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was arguably better, the Miami Heat icon was no slouch. He earned eight All-NBA team selections, 13 All-Star nods, and led the Heat to their first NBA title in 2006. D-Wade is also one of only nine players to win the NBA Finals MVP award before his 25th birthday.
Wade is an icon deserving of the honor of having a statue outside the Heat’s home arena for his incredible 15-year run with the franchise.
