Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is retiring at the conclusion of the 2018-19 NBA season, but there are many who think that the 37-year-old could still play in the NBA past this year.
NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is one of those people. The 56-year-old told Wade during All-Star Weekend that he still has a lot left in the tank.
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Jordan “told me, ‘Man, you can keep playing. Man, you still have a lot left,’” said Wade. “From a basketball standpoint, that’s my basketball idol. We’ve had a good rapport that happened before I went to Brand Jordan and being at Brand Jordan. When I walk up to him, just the smiles and love and hug; that stands out to me.”
Jordan and Wade never got to face off against each other in the NBA as Jordan retired after the 2002-03 season, which was the season before Wade entered the league.
Wade, a Chicago, Ill. native, has said before that Jordan is his favorite player of all time, followed by Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.
Earlier this season, Wade joined Jordan in an exclusive statistical club as he became the third player in NBA history to have at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 3-point field goals made in his career.
So far this season, Wade, a three-time champion, has averaged 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in 48 games (no starts). For comparison, during his last season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Although Wade’s career is coming to an end, it’s nice to see how other icons of the sport believe that he could continue to play at such a high level.
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