It's now official, and the Miami Heat has retired Dwyane Wade's jersey number. No one else will ever wear No. 3 in the history of the franchise.
Wade became the sixth player in Heat history to have his jersey retired, joining Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Alonzo Mourning.
'Flash' played 14 seasons with the Heat after they selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2003 Draft. He is the team's all-time leader in games and minutes played, points, assists, and steals. He also won three titles with the Heat and was named to 13 All-Star Games during his tenure with the team.
The Marquette product gave a speech after his jersey went into the rafters of the American Airlines Arena, and finished up by quoting late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
"The most important thing is to try to inspire others, so they can be great in whatever they choose to do."
— NBA (@NBA) February 23, 2020
Dwyane Wade closes out his jersey retirement ceremony by quoting the late Kobe Bryant. 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/RpajxuvCuZ
"Kobe said the most important thing is to try to inspire others so they can be great in whatever they try to do," Wade said. "I hope I inspired you."
The impact Dwyane Wade has had in Miami is unlike any other, to the point where February 22, 2020 was also officially declared Dwyane Wade Day in Miami-Dade County by Mayor Francis Suarez.