Future NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade recently announced that he'll be returning to the Miami Heat this season for his 16th, and final, NBA campaign. Wade, 36, says, ""This is it. I've given this game everything that I have, and I'm happy about that, and I'm going to give it for one last season, everything else I have left."
Miami's career leader in points, assists, steals and games played, Wade had previously said that he didn't want a "farewell tour" like the one Kobe Bryant received in his final season, but that won't be the case.
Shaquille O'Neal, who won championships with both Wade and Bryant as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, has admitted that he's "jealous" of D-Wade's farewell tour.
Per Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel:
“I’m jealous," Shaq says. "I’m jealous right now. I wanted the whole farewell tour.”
Envy rarely is an emotion associated with Shaquille O’Neal. Thursday was an exception.
“I remember watching Kareem’s and Magic’s and Bird’s farewell tour,” he said of his fellow Hall of Famers. “Every great, historic player deserves one. D-Wade is a historic player. And there’s a lot of barbershop talk of him being the second- or the third-best two-guard in the game. And when you bring his name up, there’s nobody even close, as far as three, four, five, six and all that. So he is one of the top two-guards to play the game.
“I’m happy for him that he can have this farewell tour, especially here in Wade County.”
Wade took to twitter following Shaq's comments with a message for the Hall of Famer center: "I never wanted a “farewell tour” but being in the position to have one is an unbelievable honor that i couldn’t rob my fans of. @SHAQ you definitely deserved one and i would have loved to be apart of it. Thank you for believing in me enough! #06Champs."
