After a summer of deep contemplation, Dwyane Wade has announced his intentions to return to the Miami Heat for one more season. The 12-time All-Star delivered the news in a YouTube video titled “One Last Dance…” that was published Sunday.
“I feel like it’s right to ask you guys to join me for one last dance, for one last season,” Wade said. “This is it. I’ve given this game everything that I have, and I’m happy about that. I’m going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left.”
During the 10-minute video, Wade went into detail about the factors that played into the decision and how his life’s journey built up to what will be his final NBA season. His mentioned his family frequently, and thanked both them and his fans profusely.
“I feel like my family has put me first for so many years, for good reasons,” Wade said. “But I feel like there comes a point in time where we all got to think about someone else, especially the ones around you that have supported you, supported your dream, supported your journey like my family has.”
Wade was emotionally forthcoming about the toll of losing Chicago native and former agent Henry Thomas to a neuromuscular disease in January.
“With him not being there last year, that was it,” Wade admitted. “I lost something in this game. Me getting traded back to Miami, it helped, but it wasn’t enough.
The former fifth overall pick, however, cited his love of the game and the journey it has given him.
“This decision is bigger than the game of basketball,” Wade said. “This decision don’t have nothing to do with the talent in my body.”
Last season, Wade averaged 16.3 points on 44.3 percent shooting in the Heat’s first-round playoff elimination by the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 28 points in Game 2 and 25 in Game 4.
Shortly after being traded to the Heat, Wade told ESPN in an interview that he wanted to be with the Heat ‘forever’ and that he did not want a Kobe Bryant-like farewell season.
It was an encouraging finish individually, after Wade had averaged 12.0 points with 40.9 percent accuracy in the 21 games he played after being dealt from Cleveland at the February trade deadline.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
