Yahoo Finance Heat to honor Dwyane Wade with record-setting three-day jersey retirement
The Miami Heat recognize the incredible impact Dwyane Wade had on the organization. Wade spent 13 of his 15 seasons in Miami. During that time, he made the All-Star team 13 times and delivered three NBA championships to the franchise.
Because of that, the Heat couldn’t just honor the 37-year-old Wade with a standard jersey retirement. Instead, the team will spread Wade’s jersey retirement over three days. It’s a fitting reminder of Wade’s jersey number and the number of championships he brought to Miami during his playing career.
That, of course, has led to some predictable jokes about how other teams will treat jersey retirements moving forward.
The Boston Celtics will retire Tacko Fall's No. 99 jersey during a 99-day ceremony in the 2040 NBA season. https://t.co/UgGcgCh4fn
— Andy Nesbitt (@anezbitt) January 7, 2020
How, exactly, will the whole thing work? On Friday, Feb. 21, the Heat will hold an event honoring Wade’s career and impact on Miami, according to Local10.com. That event will be limited to season-ticket holders, premium seat holders and Heat sponsors.
The following day is when Wade’s jersey will actually be retired. The team will hang Wade’s No. 3 jersey from the rafters as the Heat take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 22.
On Sunday, the Heat will screen a film at the American Airlines Arena based on Wade’s life. Tickets from that event will benefit Wade’s charity.
While some may see that as excessive, Wade had an undeniable impact on the Heat after he was drafted by the franchise in 2003. And hey, at least one of those three days will benefit a good cause, so something positive will come from stretching Wade’s jersey retirement over multiple days.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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