Here’s when Dwyane Wade’s jersey retirement ceremony is expected to happen
The jersey retirement ceremony for one of the Miami Heat’s best players appears to be happening in February.
Dwyane Wade’s No. 3 jersey is likely getting retired on Feb. 22 when the Heat faces the Cleveland Cavaliers at the AmericanAirlines Arena, though it is not finalized yet, according to a Miami Herald source.
There are plans to celebrate Wade during an idle date on Feb. 21 as well.
Wade’s jersey marks the fifth time the Heat will retire a number. Other retired jerseys include Alonzo Mourning (No. 33), Tim Hardaway (No. 10), Shaquille O’Neal (No. 32) and Chris Bosh (No. 1).
With Bosh and current Lakers star LeBron James, Wade formed the Big 3 in Miami, which yielded four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and two NBA championships from 2010 to 2014.
Wade also captured an NBA title in 2006 when he teamed with O’Neal and Mourning.
Drafted by the Heat as the No. 5 pick in 2003, Wade wore the No. 3 jersey in two stints with Miami. He also wore No. 3 when he played for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, in 2016-17. He later wore No. 9 with the Cavs for the first half of the 2017-18 season, but donned the No. 3 jersey in his return to Miami, where he played his final 1 1/2 seasons until his retirement in 2019.
Wade retired as the Heat’s all-time leading scorer. His jersey retirement follows Bosh’s ceremony in 2019. James, a third member of the Big 3, is expected to have his No. 6 jersey retired by the Heat in the future. The Heat has not issued that jersey number to anyone since James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 as a free agent.
The ceremony for Wade would come come between two home games for James in Los Angeles. The Lakers play at night Feb. 21 and in the afternoon on Feb. 23.
Mourning became the franchise’s first player to have his jersey retired. It happened on March 30, 2009. Hardaway’s jersey was retired Oct. 28, 2009. O’Neal’s jersey was retired Dec. 22, 2016, and Bosh’s was retired on March 26, 2019.
Wade also wore No. 3 in college and saw Marquette retire it in 2006. He led Marquette to the Final Four in 2003.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 1:04 PM.
