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Dwyane Wade played his last NBA game in a devastating Miami Heat loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The loss confirmed the Heat’s absence from the postseason, but Wade finished the encounter scoring 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record a triple-double on his swan song.
There are not many words you could use to define the career of a man known as "The Flash", outstanding would be our choice. Dwyane Wade spent his career with the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Wade has been performing since his junior college days. He made a name for himself as he led Marquette’s College basketball team to the final four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament averaging 21.5 points per game.
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A 21-year-old Wade then proceeded to declare for the 2003 NBA draft in his senior year and was picked by the Heat as the fifth overall pick. The rest, they say, is history. Let’s take a look at the top five achievements of Dwyane Wade’s career.
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#5 First championship win and youngest final MVP
Dwyane Wade recorded an enviable amount of achievements in his illustrious career. He finished his first season with an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod, and took his game to extraordinary heights after teaming up with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.
Wade put in outstanding performances for the Heat throughout the 2005-06 season. The Heat advanced to the NBA finals by defeating the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to mark their first conference title.
Disappointingly, the Heat started the Finals losing the first two games of the series to the Dallas Mavericks. However, Wade turned up his performances for the remainder of the series, averaging 39.3 points per game in the following four games, inspiring the Heat to victory as they sparked a comeback.
Dwyane Wade and the Heat went on to win their first championship title, and he was rewarded with the Finals MVP award for his stellar performances, becoming the fifth-youngest NBA player to win the award (24-years old).
#4 Scoring champion of the 2008-09 NBA season
Despite making a name for himself as one of the most dangerous players in the game, Dwyane Wade is yet to get his hands on the prestigious award in his first five seasons in the NBA. However, the shooting guard doubled up his offensive output going into the 2008-09 season as he scooped up the points leader award, topping the NBA's most offensive metrics in the process.
He finished with 30.2 points per game, beating LeBron James (28.4) to the award. He also led the league in overall points scored in the season (2,386), and field goals scored (854). His all-round game was also at a high level that season as he became the only player to record at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 blocks and steals in a single NBA season.
Also Read: Who are Dwyane Wade’s Kids?
#3 A career-high 55 points in a single game
The 2008-09 season has been considered by many to be Dwyane Wade’s best individual season. The departure of Shaquille O’Neal had seen the All-Star become the team's main anchor, stepping up as the sole leader of the Miami Heat's offense.
As he recovered from an injury-ravaged 2007-08 season, Wade shed off doubts about his ability to record outstanding performances in the season.
The shooting guard recorded a personal milestone that season, scoring the highest points of his career, in an entertaining 122-105 victory against the New York Knicks. The victory was the Heat's last game of the season as Dwyane Wade put up an outstanding 55 points to cap off his season. His 50+ point performance ranks as the second-highest tally by any player in franchise history.
#2 12 consecutive All-Star selections
The future Hall of Famer was a constant in the NBA All-Star fixture, appearing in the match-up for a straight 12 seasons since being selected in his sophomore season in the league.
Dwyane Wade consistently turned out memorable performances in All-Star games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2010. In a preview of his and King James' future chemistry, the no.3 finished above every All-Star player for points (28), assists (11), rebounds (six), and steals (five).
However, at age 35, Dwyane Wade started experiencing a dip in form and playing time due to injuries in the 2016-17 season. The star averaged his lowest points (18.3) since his first season in the league, missing out on an All-Star selection to end his 12-year streak.
#1 Back-to-Back NBA Championships
Dwyane Wade’s influence on the Heat's signings James and Chris Bosh in the 2010 offseason is widely known in the NBA. “The Decision”, as it is often called, signaled the beginning of an era in the NBA. The Heat went on to feature in the 2010-11 NBA Championship Finals, surprisingly losing the encounter to the Dallas Mavericks.
Regardless, they returned to the following season's Finals, reinvigorated and more united as a team, to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to the title. They repeated their achievement the season after that too, battling for a 4-3 series win over the Toronto Raptors, claiming their second NBA championship title in a row and the third of Dwyane Wade’s career.
Though the Heat made it to another NBA Finals the following season - their fourth in a row, it wasn’t meant to be. They played out the reverse of the previous season's Finals, losing to the Raptors.
