Relive 16 of the greatest moments of Dwyane Wade’s legendary NBA career

Dwyane Wade is a future Hall of Famer. He’s one of the best shooting guards ever. So, as one would expect, there have been plenty of memorable games during his 16 NBA seasons.

We ranked his 16 greatest and most memorable NBA games/Finals series, with retirement just around the corner ...

1. 2006 NBA Finals: Dominant is one word to describe Wade’s performance in the 2006 Finals. But one word isn’t enough. A 24-year-old Wade averaged 34.7 points on 46.8 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals to lead the Heat back from a 2-0 series deficit against the Mavericks for the franchise’s first NBA championship. The defining moment of that Finals came in Game 3 — with Miami already down 2-0 in the series — when Wade scored 12 points in the final seven minutes to rally the Heat from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. “I ain’t going out like this!” Wade famously said during a timeout right before the Heat’s Game 3 comeback. He was named the 2006 Finals MVP.

2. “This is my house” game-winner on March 9, 2009: Wade was incredible throughout the game, finishing with 48 points on 15-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks in a 130-127 double-overtime win over the Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena. But it was his final shot of the game that is rememberd, as Wade stole the ball from John Salmons and sprinted down the court to make a one-legged game-winning three-pointer as time expired to break a 127-127 tie. What ensued became an iconic moment in Wade’s career, as he jumped on the scorer’s table and yelled, “This is my house!”

3. 2013 NBA Finals: This was Wade’s third NBA championship, but it was particularly meaningful because of the knee issues he dealt with on the way to this title — the second championship during the Big 3 era. Wade had his left knee drained before Game 7 of the 2013 Finals against the Spurs and dealt with three bone bruises around his right knee late in the regular season that also bothered him during the playoffs. Still, Wade went on to average 19.6 points on 47.6 percent shooting, four rebounds and 4.6 assists in the seven-game series, including a 32-point performance in a Game 4 road win.

4. Memorable playoff debut on April 18, 2004: After opening eyes as a rookie in the regular season with averages of 16.2 points, four rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals, Wade carried that momentum into his first appearance in the NBA playoffs. In Game 1 of the Heat’s first-round series against the Hornets, a 22-year-old Wade used a crossover to get by Baron Davis on his way to making a game-winning floater with just one second to play to lift the Heat to an 81-79 win. Wade went on to average 18 points on 45.5 percent shooting, four rebounds and 5.6 assists during Miami’s 13-game run in the 2004 playoffs before being eliminated in the second round by the Pacers.

5. 2012 NBA Finals: The first championship during the Heat’s Big 3 era, and the second of Wade’s career. Down 1-0 in the series to a talented Thunder team led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Heat went on to win four straight to end the series after just five games. Wade averaged 22.6 points, six rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals in the series. He finished with an impressive plus-minus of plus-41 over the five games.

6. Makes Heat return on Feb. 9, 2018: After Wade shocked South Florida when he decided to leave the Heat in a contract dispute to sign with the Bulls in the 2016 offseason, his return also shocked many. The Cavaliers, which acquired Wade prior to the start of the 2017-18 season, traded Wade back to the Heat for a heavily protected future second-round pick on Feb. 8, 2018. One day later, Wade began his second stint with the Heat in an emotional and celebratory environment at AmericanAirlines Arena. He finished with just three points on 1-of-6 shooting in the Heat’s 91-85 win over the Bucks, but he still found a way to leave his mark on the game with a huge block with 31.7 seconds remaining to preserve a four-point lead.

7. The “One Last Dance” game-winner on Feb. 27, 2019: It might be Wade’s final NBA season, but he has still had some big moments this year. But, really, none bigger than the game-winning three-pointer he made as time expired to lift the Heat to a 126-125 win over the Warriors at AmericanAirlines Arena. With Miami down two, Wade took a pass from Dion Waiters, had his first shot blocked, retrieved the ball out of the air and banked in an off-balance straightaway 25-foot three at the buzzer. Wade was then smothered by teammates before jumping on the scorer’s table and pounding his chest in celebration. He finished that game with 25 points and seven rebounds.

8. “Purple Shirt Guy” game on April 29, 2016: With the Heat trailing 3-2 and facing elimination in its first-round playoff series against the Hornets, Wade found some extra motivation in an unexpected place. With a Hornets fan wearing a long-sleeve purple shirt spending most of the fourth quarter of Game 6 telling Wade he should retire, Wade went on to score 10 of his 23 points in the final period to lead the Heat to a 97-90 win in Charlotte and force a Game 7. The Heat went on to rout the Hornets 106-73 in Game 7 in Miami to advance to the second round, where the Heat was eliminated by the Raptors in seven games.

9. A career-high 55 points on April 12, 2009: During his 16 NBA seasons, Wade scored 50 or more points in a game just three times. The most points he ever scored in a game came during the same season he won the scoring title (30.2 points), unsurprisingly. With just days left in the 2008-09 regular season, Wade totaled a career-high 55 points on 19-of-30 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 shooting on threes in a 122-105 win over the Knicks in Miami. If that isn’t impressive enough, he reached 50 points with 26.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

10. Becomes Heat’s all-time scoring leader on March 14, 2009: It took Wade just six NBA seasons to pass Alonzo Mourning as the franchise’s all-time scoring leader. Wade moved to the top of the list on a third-quarter dunk as part of a 50-point performance in a triple-overtime 140-129 victory over the Jazz at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade is now more than 11,000 points ahead of Mourning, who is still second on the Heat’s all-time points list. Along with points, Wade is the Heat’s all-time leader in games, minutes played, made field goals, assists and steals.

11. A “Welcome Back” game-winner for Wade on Feb. 27, 2018: In just his sixth game back with the Heat after the trade from the Cavaliers, Wade made a game-winning jumper over Ben Simmons with 5.9 seconds to play to lift the Heat to a dramatic 102-101 win over the 76ers at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade finished that night with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Making the night even more special was the fact this game-winner came days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Wade wrote the name of Joaquin Oliver, who was one of the students killed in the shooting and was buried wearing a Wade jersey, on his shoes before the game. “It was like I was playing with angels in the outfield,” Wade said after his game-winner against Philadelphia. “… Our state and our city, we needed this. I definitely felt like my shots were being guided.”

12. The dunk on Nov. 12, 2009 that nobody has forgotten about: Yes, the Heat lost this home game 111-104 to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. But this game is remembered for one specific play … Wade’s dunk over then-Cleveland center Anderson Varejao. With 3:56 remaining in the first quarter, the 6-4 Wade drove into the paint and dunked over the 6-11 Varejao. Most of the highlight videos from Wade’s career have a prominent spot for this dunk. He finished the game with 36 points.

13. NBA debut on Oct. 28, 2003: It all started in Philadelphia, where Wade made his regular-season debut in an 89-74 loss to Allen Iverson and the 76ers. It didn’t take long for Wade to score his first points, hitting a fadeaway jumper just 1:54 into the game. He scored eight first-quarter points on his way to a final stat line of 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.

14. A playoff performance to remember on April 25, 2010: Before the Big 3 came together, Wade was pretty much a one-man show. Down 3-0 in a first-round series against the Celtics, Wade made sure the Heat didn’t get swept with a playoff career-high 46 points on 16-of-24 shooting to lead Miami to a 101-92 win over Boston in Game 4. He averaged 33.2 points on 56.4 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in the series, but not even those incredible numbers were enough. The Celtics eliminated the Heat in five games.

15. The return … as an opponent on Nov. 10, 2016: This was a memorable, but strange moment in Wade’s career. After leaving the Heat as a free agent in the summer of 2016, Wade returned to AmericanAirlines Arena as a member of the Bulls. In his first game in Miami as the opponent, Wade finished with 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists in a 98-95 win over the Heat. But there were no boos for Wade, just love. He received a standing ovation after his initial introduction, with fans chanting “D-Wade!” Then there was a two-minute tribute video for Wade played on the big screens inside the arena that Wade acknowledged by walking on the court, arms raised and thanking the fans.

16. The All-Star Game MVP on Feb. 14, 2010: Just months before LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Wade in Miami to form the Big 3, Wade proved he can shine on a court full of All-Stars. A 28-year-old Wade finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting, six rebounds, 11 assists and five steals to win MVP of the 2010 All-Star Game. He’s the only player who has ever been named All-Star Game MVP while they were with the Heat, with James, Shaquille O’Neal and Glen Rice also earning the honor but while they were with other teams.

This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 11:09 AM.

Anthony Chiang

Miami Herald

305-376-4991

Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.