NBA regular-season closure
Wade reflects before last game; Warriors’ time
MINNEAPOLIS – The end is nearing for Dwyane Wade.
One last bus ride from the hotel to the arena. One last pregame warm-up. One last game. One last shot. One last point. One last bus ride from the arena to the airport. One last flight back to Miami. One last drive from the airport to his home as an NBA player.
Wade probably will play his final NBA game Wednesday — #onelastdance, as he dubbed it when he announced in September that the 2018-19 season would be his last. The Heat have a slim chance to make the playoffs, but it would take winning the final two games and help from a handful of teams.
So this is probably it — after Wednesday, it’ll be 1,054 regular-season games, 177 playoff games, three NBA championships, one Finals MVP award, 13 All-Star selections, eight All-NBA honors, more than 23,000 points (30th in NBA history), 3,954 playoff points (10th in history), top 30 in career steals, the most blocks by a guard in NBA history, and two Olympics medals (gold, bronze).
The history of the NBA’s all-time greatest shooting guards, as it is written today, includes Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Clyde Drexler and Wade, who is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
For Wade, the end comes without regret, second guesses, disappointment or agony.
The farewell has been wonderful, from fan acknowledgment to memorable jersey swaps to still-has-it performances to the emotional, life-affirming Budwesier short video highlighting Wade’s impact on people off the court, including his mom, Jolinda.
Wade reflected on his retirement during an interview with USA TODAY last weekend. It has been edited for brevity:
Q: It’s obvious you have at least another year in you. You’ve had a 35point game this season. You just had 21 points in the first half Friday against Minnesota. How many people have suggested you should play next season?
A: Everybody. Even family. A lot of people have asked me, ‘Are you having second thoughts?’ I say, ‘I can keep playing.’ I tell everybody, ‘I’m not retiring because I can’t play no more.’ They say, ‘You’ve got another year.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, I can come back in this role, 25 minutes and come off the bench.’ I went through a lot physically, and I worked hard to get myself back to where I’m able to perform this way. I’m thankful I’m able to go out with no pain. I feel like, you know what? I’ve done enough. I’m 37 years old, 16 years, five Finals . ... It’s time for me to move out of the way and let the next generation do their thing.
Q: How did you know it was time?
A: It was just a feeling. It just felt like it was time. Once I got to the point where there were a lot of things in the process that I just didn’t enjoy. I don’t enjoy working out in the summers getting ready for this, the last summer . ... It was a big sign. I think it’s time before something happens.
Q: Why was it important to go out on your terms?
A: There’s going to come a time no matter if it’s this year or two years from now when I’m 39, there’s going to come a time when I have to give it up. So I decided before it gets to the point where the team is looking at me and going, ‘We have to play these young guys,’ I decided I wanted to go out on my terms and still show people I can go out and I can still go a little bit. Not everyone gets to choose. I sat down and thought about that. I thought about the greats who didn’t get this opportunity. I thought about teammates who didn’t get this opportunity. You know what, like ’Melo told me, ‘You have to do it for us to celebrate you.’ A lot of people don’t get this chance. You’ve got to take it.
Q: What has been more gratifying about this season?
A: Coming into this year, first of all, I had to muster up everything and figure out what I wanted to do. And to come back and have the ovations everywhere I’ve been and to be able to play as well along this process has been great. You don’t know coming into the year. You don’t know how the fans are going to be. You don’t know how this season is going to be for you . ... I trusted coach (Erik Spoelstra). He said to me, ‘Trust me through this process in your last season.’ You wouldn’t want anyone else helping you through this journey and I trust him.
Q: How will you remember this season?
A: I’m taking all the memories in. For me in my mind, I dedicated this season to my agent (Henry Thomas), who was not able to go on this journey with me. Along with this process, I tried to make him proud and make everybody proud.
Q: What will you miss?
A: Everything. This is what I know. I’ve been playing high-level basketball since college, almost 20 years . ... There’s nothing like getting that feeling when I run through the tunnel and I’m one of the best to play in this game . ... And just to see young kids, the way they look at you, too, just because of the sport you play. And the way parents look at you because of the way you handle yourself. There’s nothing like that look when you see a kid admiring you who has your jersey on and looking at you with these big eyes.