Wade to leave on his own terms, a rare gift
Pro athletes don’t always decide when they retire. Sometimes, it’s a career-ending injury. Others, there is no market for the player’s exhausted ability.
But sometimes, a player gets to leave the game on his or her terms.
Dwyane Wade has said he never wanted an elaborate farewell tour when it came to his final season. But by announcing this will be his last, the NBA and its fans will get a chance to appreciate what Wade, 36, has meant to the game. And that’s the way it should be.
Wade, one of the best shooting guards to play in the NBA and a future Hall of Famer, deserves at least that much in his 16th season.
“I’ve always did things my way,” Wade said in a video Sunday night. “Whether they’ve been good or whether they’ve been bad, I got here because I’ve done things the way that I feel is right for me and right for my family. And what I feel is right, I feel it’s right to ask you guys to join me for one last dance, for one last season.
“This is it. I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that, and I’m going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left.”
So, Wade gets to do it his way. There will be times this season when Wade – a reserve at this point – will have a bad game, and people will say he should’ve retired. Social media will be littered with memes depicting a bad shot or turnover.
But the appreciative ones – those who have paid attention as Wade earned Finals MVP, three championships, 12 All-Star nods, eight All-NBA teams, a scoring title – will look past the Internet jokes and be glad Wade decided to play one more season with the Heat, where he started his career.
Let’s be honest. Wade would not have returned if he still didn’t have something to contribute on the court.
There’s no telling when, but we’ll get a few more glimpses of Vintage Dwyane Wade this season. Maybe against his friend LeBron James. Or maybe in front of Heat fans who have witnessed so many of those performances. And we’ll get a few more fun social media interactions between Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union.
Exactly the way it should be.