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Dwyane Wade played 15 amazing, career-defining seasons for the Miami Heat. The NBA legend holds every conceivable franchise record, plus three shiny championship rings.
Wade recently took a part-ownership stake in the Utah Jazz which initially rubbed Heat fans the wrong way. The 13-time All-Star called it a business decision before adding that it’s “all love” for Miami. He always had a strong relationship with Heat president Pat Riley and team owner Micky Arison, something he brought up again in a recent appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump.” In fact, Wade sounded like a man with some inside information on what the franchise might be plotting this offseason.
Expect a big move, but only if it’s the right move. Miami has always been willing to bust open the books and pay for top talent. Here is what Wade told Rachel Nichols:
The Heat are always going to do what they’ve always done. They’re always planning steps ahead to try to look at the future and see how they can compete for championships. Miami is all about championships. You can take the years that you don’t win championships and say, ‘Man, we had a great season.’ But that isn’t a year that Pat Riley and that organization really want to remember.
They want to remember the ones that end in parades. So they’re going to do everything possible to do that, as long as Pat Riley and the Arison family is at the helm of that organization, they’re always going to go all in. They’re going to pull those chips in when it’s right. They’re not going to do it when it ain’t right. When it’s right, they’re going put all the chips in.
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Did Wade Receive Ownership Offer From Arison?
There was a bit of confusion over whether Arison made a formal ownership stake offer to Wade when news first broke of his Jazz deal. The billionaire businessman hinted that the two talked about it after Wade retired in 2019, but no concrete details were given on the future Hall of Famer’s position or role. Many were left wondering what exactly happened there. Wade gently addressed the topic during a recent GQ interview with an equally cryptic answer.
“My basketball career and my business career are two different things,” Wade told GQ. “We had a great relationship from a basketball standpoint. But for me, man, this was the best opportunity.”
Wade referenced similar decisions by Michael Jordan (Charlotte Hornets), Grant Hill (Atlanta Hawks), Shaquille O’Neal (Sacramento Kings) who took ownership stakes in franchises they never played for. Those were calculated business decisions, too.
“Everything was right for this phase in my life,” Wade said. “For this part in my life [ownership with the Miami Heat] wasn’t the step I wanted to take.”
Happy Birthday, Udonis Haslem!
Fan-favorite player Udonis Haslem celebrated his 41st birthday on Wednesday (June 9) and the Miami Heat put together a fitting tribute on Twitter. No one knows for sure if last season was the final one for the man known affectionately in South Beach as “UD.”
There was talk of Haslem possibly returning as a coach next year, but the long-time captain expressed a desire to keep playing. He appeared in one game and saw less than three minutes of action for the Heat in 2021. He scored four points and grabbed one rebound in that one before getting ejected for starting a fight.
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