One Final Game: Dwyane Wade
Date: April 10, 2019
Dwyane Wade was a man of three careers. First he was the man for the Miami Heat, an unstoppable perimeter scorer and underrated defender who led the Heat to their first franchise title in 2006. Then he was the wingman, playing alongside LeBron James en route to four-straight NBA Finals and two titles.
The final chapter of Wade’s career was as the aging man, the player who still remembered the glory days but couldn’t always reach back and touch them. He bounced around the league a little, playing in Chicago and Cleveland before returning to Miami to just more than a season of a final act.
Wade willed himself to 15 points per game that final season, and that number included a couple of explosions in the scoring margin. He ended his career on a hot streak, scoring 20 or more in his final four games. That included his very last game, when Wade not only scored 25 points but chipped in 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
It wasn’t a very efficient night, but that is how it goes for stars at the end of their career. No amount of chucking generates 10 assists out of thin air, though; Wade was involved and trying to go out on top. He even chipped in another block, a final victim for one of the all-time great shot-blocking guards.