Dwyane Wade unveils reason why Erik Spoelstra benched him after he dropped 50 points in 3 quarters

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Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade notched his career-high scoring effort of 55 points in a game against the New York Knicks in April 2009.

The franchise icon, who had 50 points by the end of the third quarter of that epic game, responded to a fan who asked for his response on why head coach Erik Spoelstra took him out of the game when he was so close to making franchise history.

At the time, the record for most points in a game scored by a Heat player was held by Glenn Rice who scored 56 points in a game in 1995.

Surely, Wade could have extended history that night.

The shooting guard concluded the contest against the Knicks with 55 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. He shot 19-of-30 from the field, 6-of-12 from downtown and 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

Furthermore, the performance put the finishing touches on one Wade’s greatest individual regular seasons of his career. Wade averaged a league-high 30.2 points on top of 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game during the 2008-09 campaign.

The Heat’s all-time leading scorer is one of the most beloved players in franchise history.

Wade retired from the league in April 2019.

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Born and raised in South Florida, Justin has always been a passionate Miami Heat fan. An avid supporter from the time Miami got its first championship in 2006 to having a league-worst 15-67 record in 2008 to the whole LeBron James era until now, Justin has seen and stuck through it all. His all-around analysis and heart for the game has made him a premier NBA writer. He writes for a variety of sites but his commitment to the Heat is always top priority.