Dwyane Wade officially eligible for Hall of Fame class of 2023

The best player to ever rep a Miami jersey is headed to the Hall of Fame

2019 marked the end of a legendary career for SG Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. Wade played 17 seasons in the association, 15 with Miami, and put up career averages of 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG, shooting 48% from the field. Now, he is headed to the NBA Hall of Fame.

He is an icon to the city of Miami, as he delivered the organization’s first ever NBA championship in 2006, and then went on to win two more in 2012 and 2013. Wade has been a key part of all 3 of the Heat’s championships, and is undoubtedly the greatest player to ever put on that Heat jersey. The accolades that this man has had throughout his career are extremely impressive.

He’s a top 3 SG of all time, and he was an elite athlete both on the court and off the court. Without Wade, the Heat could very much potentially have 0 championships. He carried the team in 06’ with an aging Shaquille O’Neal as his sidekick, and even after going down 0-2 against the Dallas Mavericks he led an incredible turnaround to win the series 4-2.

The next couple years followed with some playoff disappointments and underachieving. However, the individual milestones from Wade was still a beauty to be a part of. He was an All-Star lock every year, an All-NBA talent, and in the conversation for league MVP. Wade was one of, if not the best shot blocking guard of all time.

He also won a scoring title, and single handedly kept Miami relevant for many years. Then came the big three era, as Wade was able to recruit superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to team up with him in South Beach the summer of 2010.

The big three played 4 seasons together, won the Eastern Conference every single season and delivered 2 championships. The seasons following that showed a bit of decline in athleticism in Wade’s game, but still an All-Star caliber player. Wade aged like fine wine, and although he wasn’t having eye popping highlights and poster dunks night in and night out anymore, he was still very productive.

His game got much more crafty in his twilight years, and his IQ was as elite as anyone in the league. Wade was always there to deliver in the clutch, and provided some great memories in that department even in his later years. The “father prime” era was memorable for all of Heat Nation.

Yes, he had some short stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers for a year and a half in 2017-2018, but he found his way back home to Miami. He was able to make a heroic return and finish his career in the place that meant the most to him. Dwyane Wade, the 5th pick in the 2003 NBA draft, was the greatest thing to ever happen to the Miami Heat.

Now his career ends in the best fashion possible, with a lock in the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Wade joins other great players Pau Gasol, Becky Hammon, Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, and coach Gregg Popovich in his Hall of Fame class. The induction will take place in a few months, and Heat lifers everywhere will be ready to watch.
Thank you for everything, D-Wade.