Wade grateful while Miami ends on a perfect note

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"I hope they are proud of what they have helped me to become.This city means everything to me.This is forever, forever, forever, My house."

Judging by the crowd's reactions throughout the match, it seems reasonable to assume that they are very proud of Wade's many accomplishments.

And, that night, the Heat celebrated them all, starting with a pre-match ceremony, followed by a video tribute of his career, which was narrated by a combination of members of the family and personalities of his legendary career.

"Dude, you'll make me cry before this game," said Wade once the video tribute ended. "Dude, I love you guys.

"I'm grateful for this moment, I'm grateful for this season."

Wade, who stood next to his eldest son, Zaire, was clearly moved. He then thanked each of his teammates this season – including those who were cut or traded – by name.

"Thank you guys for dancing with me this year," he said. "Thank you guys for your patience this year, thank you for all your love and for having my back this year.

"I have brothers who will always be my brothers, I love you guys."

The tribute video began with Erik Spoelstra, Wade's head coach for a decade or so and whose first season as an NBA assistant coincided with Wade's rookie season. He then moved on to Shaquille O 'Neal, who recounted the first act of Wade's career – covering the championship they had won together in 2006.

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Dwyane Wade swaps jerseys with Jimmy Butler, takes a team photo with the Heat and also swaps with his son Zaire Wade.

From there, he moved on to the second act – recounted by LeBron James – and covering both the "Big Three" era, which saw the Heat win two titles and reach four NBA finals in as many years, go to the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2015.

"Pressure like this could have bothered you," said James about the challenges facing these Heat teams, "but it has hardened you, strengthening you as a player, a man and a leader.

"Then you have reached twice the summit of the mountain, different case, same conclusion.

"Your second act saw your arrivals as one of the most respected athletes on Earth, and the departure of your home that drove you there."

Three people told the final act: Wade's wife, actress Gabrielle Union; Udonis Haslem, his longtime teammate; and Pat Riley, who has directed or directed the Heat for Wade's entire career.

"We applauded, we cried, we chanted your name throughout the city and up to the summits," Union said. "It was more than a meeting, it was a renewal of the role you wanted to play – from flash to fatherhood."

"And now you go on the stage one last time, we salute you," said Haslem, "as a player who has fallen seven times and who has risen eight times."

"Because, whatever stories come," Riley concluded, "know that this city will always be proud to represent your name on its back.

"Because that is, and will always be, Wade County."

The video was then turned to Zaire Wade, who was shown to enter the American Airlines Arena – imitating some of his father's early moves, from the mid-range sweater. to a dummy pump – before slowly climbing the steps. from the bowl to the microphone, where he sat down and introduced his father, recreating the Converse ad he shot over ten years ago.

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Dwyane Wade pays tribute to his current teammates and Heat Nation before his last regular season game in Miami.

When the lights went out, Zaire was standing in front of the central courtyard, where his father then went to him and greeted him before addressing the crowd.

Throughout the video, Wade's eyes rarely left the jumbotron screens above him – apart from scrutinizing the crowd a few times. He kept moving while stretching, but his eyes remained stuck above him while the video was playing.

Shortly after, after Wade's speech in front of the crowd, Michael Baiamonte, long-time Miami Heat announcer, presented his presentation in detail, as announced the last player in the training.

Spoelstra had refused to say whether Wade would start before the match, but it would have been shocking not to have made his first start of this season in what could be his last match in this building – and he admitted as much post-match.

"It was a no-brainer," said Spoelstra. "It was out of the question not to do that.

"It was like the good old days, everything came down, as in 2008 … it was pretty cool."

Once, he had recourse to the court for the last time – after spending time with Union and their little girl in the middle of the field, and after a pre-game video told by all his teammates – he did a trick to beg the crowd feet.

And then, during the first part of the match, he snuggled down the hall for a dunk wide open, much to the delight of fans of his hometown.

It was only the beginning of what was a long feast, as the Sixers – who, with the third seed in the playoffs of the East, had nothing to do – seemed Unconsciously do their best to get out of the game and allow Miami to have one last celebration for its favorite player of all time.

There were other mixed tributes during the game – the first, and most notable, being that of former President Barack Obama, who praised Wade as a compatriot of Windy City for his success.

"Every time you've been knocked down, you've shown us how to rise," said Obama. "You showed the spirit of Chicago and you made us proud."

The next time was introduced by Wade's other son, Zion, who had a message for his father.

"Now, after all these beautiful things, do not lose your last home game," he said, much to the delight of the spectators.

Thanks to Wade, who had a vintage performance, and at Sixers, there was not much hope that would happen. And as the game progressed, the only question was how many Wade points would score.

He turned out to be 30 – the same number another retirement superstar, Dirk Nowitzki, amassed in Dallas on Tuesday night. Wade did so with elegance too, scoring two points at three points in the fourth quarter, as well as a three-point goal back just ahead of Union – who hit it on the back while He celebrated before going for it. defense.

To top it off, Wade spent the fourth quarter on the floor with Haslem, his long-time friend and teammate. The two men met together in the first minute of the fourth minute, then went back to the cash register with 62 seconds left to become a deafening standing ovation.

"At that moment, I just wanted to enjoy a little more, just a little longer," said Wade. "It was great to finish this with my brother.

"I would not want it to be otherwise – I was just trying to entertain myself – I have some shots to shoot and I drew the crowd – it was cool."

The only thing that did not go as planned in the evening was when Wade tried to sign his signature after the post-match press conference on the field – jumped on the scorer's table and feted with a crowd as a soldier.

Only, instead of jumping on the scorecard, Wade fell on it and crashed on it, forcing him to make a joke at his expense with the sound system. Finally, he managed to get up and greet the crowd one last time.

"It was three leaps," he says later with a smile. "I wanted to keep it with number 3. Do you see how I turned a negative into a positive so fast?

"[But] that's how I wanted to end it. I finished it at the D-Wade fashion, falling, slipping and going up. "

Wade and Spoelstra both confirmed that he would play Wednesday night in Brooklyn, in what will be officially the last game of his legendary career.

It remains to be seen how much he is playing, and he can get close to replicating what he's done here.

"I plan to play," he said. "I do not know how much, though." Tonight it was my "One Last Dance." Tomorrow we'll have another match and we'll have a lot of fans that I love. "