Top 5 moments of Dwyane Wade's career
The Miami Heat were blessed to have Dwyane Wade as the face of the franchise since drafting him in the stacked 2004 NBA draft.
His presence in the team was a culture setter, as he won three championships in 16 seasons. On that note, here's a look at the five best performances of the 13-time NBA All-Star:
Honorable Mention: Dwyane Wade wins third championship on a bum knee
While there are too many games to put in Dwyane Wade's top list, this one has to be mentooned.
The legacy of the Miami Heat's big three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh was on the line in Game 6 before Ray Allen forced overtime. That's the memory most people have of the 2013 NBA Finals.
The job was not done, though, as a Game 7 in front of a San Antonio Spurs crowd loomed large. Wade, though, was undaunted, producing a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, doing so with an injured knee that had to be drained before the game.
His output was only behind James' 37 points, but Wade made key plays that made it difficult for the Spurs to gain momentum.
#5 Swansong game winner in 2019
The final year of Dwyane Wade's career was indeed something to remember. Everywhere he went, Wade was cheered on as he exchanged jerseys with his NBA colleagues.
The most memorable game in his retirement year was against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 27, 2019. Wade tallied 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
The most important of them all was the game-winner from 25 feet to seal victory against the defending champions Warriors who had Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.
#4 Prevents clean sweep against Boston Big Three with playoff career-high 45 points
Boston's trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen was always a tough proposition to deal with. The Miami Heat had to go through the 2008 NBA champions in the first round of the 2010 playoffs and found themselves down 3-0.
On the brink of elimination, Wade exploded with his best scoring output in the playoffs, registerting 46 points along with five rebounds, five assists and two steals. That gave the Heat another day to live, preventing a clean sweep, but Boston would complete the job in the next game.
It was a pre-Miami big-three matchup as Wade led with Quentin Richardson, Michael Beasley, Carlos Arroyo and Jermaine O'Neal in the starting lineup.
#3 55-point career-best performance
The late 2000s version of Dwyane Wade was arguably his most lethal version. That year, he led the league in scoring with 30.2 points, with his best scoring output of 55 points coming against the New York Knicks.
In that outing, he also had nine rebounds, four assists and six-pointers in the Heat's 122-105 win at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
#2 "This is my house" game winner vs Bulls
Probably the most bad-ass game of Dwyane Wade was when he sealed a game-winning 3-point basket against the Chicago Bulls on Mar. 3, 2009. That was memorable, as Wade had come up with a steal against John Salmons and drained the 3-pointer with one leg at around 25 feet as time ran out.
Wade then went up to the scorer's table, pointing down with both hands in front of an ecstatic crowd at the American Airlines Arena, saying "This is my house". The 48-point performance became a footnote on the historical night as Wade broke the hearts of a Chicago Bulls team comprising a young Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
#1 Dwyane Wade vs Dallas Mavericks, Game 3 2006 NBA Finals
This performance is the consensus best game of Dwyane Wade. Down 2-0, the Miami Heat were about to be buried by the Dallas Mavericks, with no team ever recovering from a 3-0 deficit.
What made his performance more impressive is that Wade was just in his third year in the league and but was already willing his team to avoid getting to the brink of elimination.
Wade finished with 42 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks as the Heat reduced arrears with a close 98-96 win.
They would go on to win the next three games to win the championship, becoming only the third team to recover from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals.
More than the statistical feat and the Game-3 win, it marked Dwyane Wade's elevation to an elite level, as he won a championship before his fellow draftmates LeBron James and Chris Bosh.