This summer, Dwyane Wade has been doing a lot of looking back at his legendary career with the Miami Heat.
In a recent interview with rapper Rick Ross, Wade discussed why he felt he needed to bring a championship to the city of Miami.
“A kid from inner city Chicago to have a whole state say, ‘We believe in you,'” Wade told Ross. “You know what I’m saying, felt like home. So I had to bring a championship, we had to bring a championship to Miami. There was no other way.”
Wade then went on to explain what it meant to be an outsider who was accepted fully by the Miami fan base and culture.
“It’s a responsibility to me now because I’ve been accepted,” he said. “Miami don’t just give love like that.”
Wade is completely correct. For Miami sports stars, love is not given, it is earned. Considering the fact that Wade played an integral role in bringing all three NBA titles to Miami, it’s safe to say that he more than earned the love that he will receive from South Florida for the rest of his life.
While his career as an NBA player is in the rearview mirror, it would certainly not be a shock if he came back to the organization that drafted him in some other capacity.
Hopefully, if he does ultimately decide to return to the Heat, he will help play a role in bringing more titles to the team he played on for the vast majority of his storied NBA career.