It was a fine summer’s afternoon in Sydney, I was still in primary school when I went to my friend’s house and watched the NBA for the first time in my life. Being raised primarily on cricket, I had only gotten into football the year before. NBA was still a fairly new sport for me, we had barely played basketball in school in favor of the more Australian sports of rugby and tennis. I still remember being utterly entrap as a child. The cheer of the crowd, the insane ramblings of the commentators coupled with constant running from one side to another whilst athletes performed feats pf raw athleticism. As I sat watching the Miami Heat play the Golden State Warriors, one particular player stood out, a player I was absolutely amazed by. He scored basket after basket, outwitted player after player, ultimately contributing 33 points in the 104-93 win. To this day that friend whose house I went over teases me about how much I went on about D-Wade that day, I had known from then on, I had found my basketball role model.
Shaquille O’Neill joining the Heat in 2004 was not only amazing for the Heat, but it was also amazing for me as a fan. I still remember jumping up and down on my sofa as the trade was announced. The Wade and Shaq pair were going to bring my beloved team a title. The 2004 season was eventful but didn’t result in a trophy for Miami. I had to wait two more years until we finally did it, Wade and Shaq combining to win us our first ever Championship and boy was it glorious. Wade got the MVP and I still remember feeling like a king because after all, the Flash had become the King and they were truly wonderful times. I thought that maybe they could do it again but it’s true what they say, you can’t have everything in life. It was a fairly rocky season for me, particularly painful as Wade was injured throughout most of the season. Although he did play in that season, Miami went out in the playoffs which allowed Wade to properly treat his injuries.
It wasn’t until 2010 that Wade tasted the sweet fruits of success. July 7, 2010 was quite a momentous day for me as a Wade/Heat fan, not only did Dwyane re-sign with the Heat but was also joined by Chris Bosh and the polarizing figure of LeBron James. For those four years, it was basically impossible for the Heat to not reach the finals and in fact they did, with the Big 3 of Wade, Bosh and James being the prime factor. Wade and James combined wonderfully, two of the brightest stars of the class of ’03 shining brighter than ever before. In 2012, Wade scored a triple-double in the All-Star game, joining the elite club of Michael Jordan and fellow teammate LeBron James who had done it in the previous year.
My respect for the man increased manifold in 2013 when his autobiography, A Father First was released. I read the whole thing within a day, learning a great deal about my hero. Learning more and more about his life and the struggles he faced became an inspiration for me and helped me improve as a person. When he announced that he would be moving to the Bulls this year, I was one of the contingent of fans who were at peace with this decision. For a man who has given 13 years of wonderful service to the city of Miami, it is only fitting that if he were to leave, it would be to leave for his hometown Chicago. For a man who had modeled his game on the legendary Michael Jordan, it is somewhat poetic that Wade returns to the same forge that produced his idol. Whilst the Heat currently have some very promising young players like Whiteside and Winslow, the influence and calm that Wade brought to Miami will be sorely missed but change is inevitable and I hope that Wade flourishes in Chicago and brings the same happiness to Bulls fans as he brought to me for all these years. All the best Flash, go get ‘em!
Check out this D-Wade tribute video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMgfLYdae8M]Video courtesy of Youtube/piotrekzproductions
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