When Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade’s basketball career officially comes to an end, there figures to be an emotional void with all of the fans that have cheered for him over 16 seasons.
In a new interview, it appears that Wade’s own void will require him to undergo therapy to adjust to his new status as a retired player.
Wade spoke with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on her program, “The Jump,” and indicated that addressing the drastic change that will take place in his life will ease his transition:
[xyz-ihs snippet=”HN-300×250-Image”]
“I’ll be in therapy. Seriously. I meant it, it is going to be a big change. I told my wife, I said, ‘I need to do therapy, and we need to do a little bit.’
“I was always against someone that don’t know me telling me how to live my life or giving me instructions. But I need someone to talk to about it. Because it is a big change. Even though I got a long life to live, other great things I can accomplish and do, it’s not this. So it’s going to be different.”
While Wade’s NBA career could end next week, he continues to enjoy the accolades he’s received all season long as well as being in the playoff hunt. His discussions about therapy come at a time in which he’s comfortable with his life:
“I’m in a real good space. And I haven’t been in that space in a long time. I’m happy with how my body feels. I’m happy with the extra additions to my life. I’m excited about the unknown. How we going to get it done, you know? So I’m excited about it.”
Those tributes certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by Wade:
“It’s been surreal. It’s like you — you have this vision of, you know, how you want things to go, right, with everything in life. And when something, you know, surpasses that vision, it’s kinda like it’s an out-of-body experience.
“I couldn’t have written this book any better. This is a best-seller. And I couldn’t have written it about my life.”
Regardless of how the Heat end up faring, Wade is set to close out his time on the court on his own terms:
“I’m gonna go out the way D-Wade’s supposed to go out. You know what I mean?” Wade said. “And like, I think it helps, too, that we are in this playoff battle. ‘Cause I’m just trying to win.”
Wade is currently uncertain about what lies in his immediate future:
“I have no idea what it is I want to do yet. But I definitely know I want to do a little bit of everything. Especially in the beginning, I want to see what I can be great at. I’m so used to being great at something or trying to strive to be great at something. That’s what I want to be at whatever else I choose to do. We’ll see.”
One thing’s for certain, given Wade’s competitive nature: He wants to extend his career into the postseason, an arduous process that continues on Friday night in Minnesota.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”HN-300×250-TextnImage”]
