On this day, Oct 28, 2003: Dwyane Wade makes his NBA debut - Looking at top 5 achievements of The Flash's career
Dwyane Wade played his last NBA game in a devastating Miami Heat loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The loss confirmed the Heat’s absence from the postseason, but Wade finished the encounter scoring 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record a triple-double on his swan song.
There are not many words you could use to define the career of a man known as "The Flash", outstanding would be our choice. Dwyane Wade spent his career with the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Wade has been performing since his junior college days. He made a name for himself as he led Marquette’s College basketball team to the final four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament averaging 21.5 points per game.
On this day in 2003... 13x NBA All-Star, 3x NBA Champion and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade made his NBA debut, scoring 18 PTS for the @MiamiHEAT! #NBAVault #NBA75 https://t.co/luSCR35Qi6
A 21-year-old Wade then proceeded to declare for the 2003 NBA draft in his senior year and was picked by the Heat as the fifth overall pick. The rest, they say, is history. Let’s take a look at the top five achievements of Dwyane Wade’s career.
#5 First championship win and youngest final MVP
Dwyane Wade recorded an enviable amount of achievements in his illustrious career. He finished his first season with an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod, and took his game to extraordinary heights after teaming up with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.
Wade put in outstanding performances for the Heat throughout the 2005-06 season. The Heat advanced to the NBA finals by defeating the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to mark their first conference title.
Never forget that D-Wade put up 39.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.5 spg to help Miami win four straight games in 2006 Finals and win our first-ever NBA title. https://t.co/B3WqDuLOnC
Disappointingly, the Heat started the Finals losing the first two games of the series to the Dallas Mavericks. However, Wade turned up his performances for the remainder of the series, averaging 39.3 points per game in the following four games, inspiring the Heat to victory as they sparked a comeback.
Dwyane Wade and the Heat went on to win their first championship title, and he was rewarded with the Finals MVP award for his stellar performances, becoming the fifth-youngest NBA player to win the award (24-years old).
#4 Scoring champion of the 2008-09 NBA season
Despite making a name for himself as one of the most dangerous players in the game, Dwyane Wade is yet to get his hands on the prestigious award in his first five seasons in the NBA. However, the shooting guard doubled up his offensive output going into the 2008-09 season as he scooped up the points leader award, topping the NBA's most offensive metrics in the process.
He finished with 30.2 points per game, beating LeBron James (28.4) to the award. He also led the league in overall points scored in the season (2,386), and field goals scored (854). His all-round game was also at a high level that season as he became the only player to record at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 blocks and steals in a single NBA season.
Also Read: Who are Dwyane Wade’s Kids?