Heat announces three-day Dwyane Wade celebration for jersey retirement. Here are details.
The celebration of Dwyane Wade’s career with the Miami Heat next month will entail much more than just a jersey retirement. The Heat will host a three-day series of events, dubbed the “L3GACY Celebration, in February to honor the storied career of the best player in franchise history.
Miami’s celebration of its beloved superstar begins Feb. 21 at AmericanAirlines Arena, will feature the jersey retirement Feb. 22 at halftime of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and wrap up Feb. 23 with a screening of a documentary about the former guard at the arena where he played for the vast majority of his career.
Wade’s weekend begins at the AAA with “The Flashback” at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21. The kickoff event’s name is an homage to Wade’s “Flash” nickname and it’s an event exclusive to season-ticket holders. The Flashback is, “A look back at Dwyane’s most legendary moments, as told by the people and players who lived them,” according to the Heat, and it will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Sun and WAXY.
The main event arrives Feb. 22 when Miami hosts the Cavaliers, one of two other teams Wade played for in his 16-year NBA career. The game tips off at 8 p.m. and Wade’s No. 3 jersey will be retired at halftime.
It’s a no-brainer decision for the Heat, of course. Wade played 15 of his 16 seasons in Miami, winning three championships, taking home MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals and earning All-NBA honors eight times. He’s one of only three players in NBA history to finish his career with 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 three-pointers, along with Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
“As teams develop and evolve, there are many players who could be labeled the face of a franchise, then there are those that rise above that,” president Pat Riley said in a statement. “In my opinion, with all due respect to others, Dwyane Wade has been the face of this franchise. I am so delighted that Dwyane is going to be honored by having his jersey retired. He is so deserving.”
His statement also included the hashtag #FaceOfTheFranchiseForever.
Wade’s celebration wraps up Feb. 23 at 3:30 p.m. back at the arena. Wade and ESPN Films will debut a documentary about the 13-time All-Star, “which chronicles the star’s life on and off the court with never-before-seen footage,” according to the Heat. Tickets for the Miami screening go on sale Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. for $3 at Heat.com, with proceeds for the event benefiting the Wade’s World Foundation.
The documentary is a co-production between ESPN and Imagine Documentaries, directed by Bob Metelus. It was shot across 10 years with Wade and his family, and filmmakers used hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage, culling from home movies and exclusive footage of the future Hall of Famer. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment are executive producers of the film, which will also air on ESPN next month.
Wade, who helped lead Miami to all three of its championships, is the second member of the Heat’s Big 3 to have his jersey retired after former post player Chris Bosh had his No. 1 retired last season. Miami previously retired Tim Hardaway’s No. 10, Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 and Alonzo Mourning’s No. 33.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
