Dwyane Wade named one of 12 finalists for the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class

The greatest player of franchise history receiving well-deserved recognition.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominated 12 finalists for the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, and one of the headliners was none other than Miami Heat icon and the greatest player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade.

Wade, who played 16 NBA seasons and 14-and-a-half with the Heat, was a consummate professional throughout his NBA career and helped deliver each of franchise’s three NBA Titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. He will always be remembered for his spectacular 2005-06 NBA Finals terror he went on against the Dallas Mavericks, when the then-24-year-old averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and one block on 50.5/33.3/79.5 shooting splits in Games 3-6, winning the 2006 NBA Finals MVP.

Wade, who played collegiately at Marquette University from 2001-03, was drafted No. 5 overall to Miami in 2003. He spent his first 14 seasons with the Heat before playing one year with the Chicago Bulls, his hometown team, and an additional half-season with LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was traded back to Miami at the deadline in 2017-18 and spent the rest of his career in the 305, where retired at the end of the 2018-19 season.

Photo credit should read ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images

He was a 13-time All-Star, three-time champion, eight-time All-NBA member — including a pair of first-team appearances (2009-10) — and a three-time second-team All-Defensive team honoree (2005, ‘09-10). Wade was arguably the league’s best shot-blocking guard ever, averaging 0.8 per game — in addition to 1.5 steals. He remains the Heat’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals, field goals and games played, among others.

Wade earned two Olympic medals, including gold in 2008 in Beijing with the “Redeem Team,” where he led the team in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.3 steals shooting 67.1 percent from the floor, 47.1 percent from 3-point range (2.1 attempts) and 73.6 percent from the charity stripe.

The best player in franchise history is getting the additional recognition he deserves, and it should surprise absolutely nobody when Wade eventually becomes a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the class gets announced on April 1.

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Who are the other 11 finalists?

Becky Hammon

• Six-Time WNBA All-Star
• Four-time All-WNBA honoree
• Sixth all-time in assists (1708)
• 15th all-time in points (5841)
• WNBA Champion (head coach, 2022)

David Hixon

• Won 826 games at the Division-III level for Amherst
• Two-time National Champion (2007, 2013)
• 20 NCAA Division III tournament appearances

Dirk Nowitzki

• Played 21 years with Dallas Mavericks (1998-2019)
• Sixth on NBA All-Time scoring list (31,560)
• 15th on NBA All-Time 3-point list (1982)
• 14-time All-Star
• 12-time All-NBA honoree
• 2011 NBA Champion
• 2011 NBA Finals MVP
• 2006-07 MVP

Gary Blair

• Member of the Women’s College Basketball Hall of Fame
• 12th-most wins in Division-I women’s college basketball history with 852 in 37 seasons with Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and Texas A&M
• One-time National Champion (2011)
• Led both Arkansas and Texas A&M to the Final Four
• 25 NCAA Tournament appearances

Gene Bess

• All-time winningest college coach with 1,300 wins, coaching 50 seasons at Three Rivers Community College
• 23-time NJCAA Regional Championships
• Two-time NJCAA Champion (1979, 1992)
• First ever NJCAA coach to reach 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200 wins

Gene Keady

• Member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame
• Head coach for 27 seasons, including 25 for Purdue (1980-2005) and the other two with Western Kentucky (1978-80)
• Five-time National Coach of Year (1984, 1988, 1994, 1996, 2000)
• Led Purdue to 17 NCAA Tournaments, WKU to one

Gregg Popovich

• NBA all-time wins leader (1,358 and counting)
• Three-time NBA Coach of the Year (2003, 2012, 2014)
• Five-time NBA Champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
• Helped the San Antonio Spurs make the playoffs 22 consecutive times (1997-2019)
• Led San Antonio to 19 50-win seasons, including six 60-win seasons

Jennifer Azzi

• First-team All-American with Stanford Cardinals in 1988-89 and 1989-90
• National Champion in 1990, earning Final Four MVP and West Region MVP
• Naismith Player of the Year award honoree in 1990
• Pac-10 player of the year in 1989 and 1989
• Three-time gold medalist, including in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics

Marian Washington

• Member of the Women’s College Basketball Hall of Fame
• Kansas women’s basketball head coach for 31 years
• Led Kansas to 11 NCAA Tournaments
• First African American women to coach the U.S. in international competition in 1982
• Two-time Big Eight Coach of the Year, one-time Big 12 coach of the Year

Pau Gasol

• Played 18 seasons with Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks
• Six-time All-Star
• Four-time All-NBA honoree
• Two-time NBA Champion (2009, 2010)
• 2001-02 Rookie of the Year

Tony Parker

• Played 18 NBA Seasons (17 with Spurs from 2001-2018; one with Hornets ‘18-19)
• Six-time All-Star
• Four-time All-NBA honoree
• Four-time NBA Champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
• 2006-07 NBA Finals MVP

This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.