The Miami Heat are one of the NBA’s newer franchises, as they didn’t begin play until the 1988-89 season.
In the late 1990s, they were a very good team, but they weren’t quite a championship-caliber team, and they quickly fell back to earth in the early 2000s.
That’s when they had the good fortune of drafting Dwyane Wade with the No. 5 pick in the 2003 draft.
Very quickly, he helped turn them into an elite team that won three NBA championships over the next decade.
As a result, Wade is about to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and he talked about how he is proud of being the first Heat draftee to accomplish that honor.
“I’m always about setting the bar, setting the standard. I like being the first to do stuff.” 🔥@DwyaneWade reflects on becoming the first ever @MiamiHEAT drafted player inducted into the @Hoophall 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/4RYOwqgDfm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 11, 2023
It took Wade only two seasons to become an elite player, and the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal in 2004 took Miami to new heights.
The team won its first world title in 2006, with Wade turning in one of the best NBA Finals performances of all time.
After the Heat had a downturn in the late 2000s, LeBron James and Chris Bosh arrived in 2010, and Wade graciously took a step back to allow James to get the shots and recognition he desperately craved.
They won two more rings in 2012 and 2013, and although Wade’s knees started aching, he played a major role in both championships.
His time with the Heat reinforced their much-lauded culture that was created by Pat Riley, first as their head coach and later as team president, and today, they continue to be one of the league’s best teams a few years after Wade retired.
NEXT:
Dwyane Wade Predicts Another Marquette Alum Will Make HOF
