On Saturday, during the Miami Heat’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade‘s No. 3 jersey was retired in the Miami arena that he made “his house.” During the game’s halftime, Wade took to the center of the court to deliver some remarks about his time with the Miami Heat. Additionally, he also took some time to thank and acknowledge his family, former teammates, and even the late Kobe Bryant.
“Kobe said the most important thing is to try to inspire others so they can be great in whatever they try to do,” Wade said during the ceremony, per ESPN. “I hope I inspired you. Thank you for making me a part of your legacy. Please know you’re a huge part of mine.”
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Wade further commented on Bryant and the Laker’s legacy after the ceremony.
“The impact that the passing of Kobe has done on myself and so many others is it’s made us sit down and stop,” Wade said about Bryant, who passed away in a helicopter crash along with eight others on Jan. 26. “Life goes so fast. We move at a rapid pace. It’s made me enjoy the moment more. It’s made me want to create more memories. It definitely put a lot of things in perspective. As athletes, we’re looked at as superheroes. We looked at Kobe as a superhero.”
“That moment has touched all of us and will continue to. Kobe was leading the way — he retired and showed us in his next act after retirement that you can master that as well,” he continued. “He mastered basketball, he mastered being an amazing father, he mastered being a husband, he mastered being a creator. He was showing us the way and now we don’t have that. So I do have a responsibility to be that guy and show the way for the next generation.”
Wade is one of many figures in the basketball community who has opened up about Bryant’s legacy in the days and weeks following the icon’s untimely death. A couple of weeks ago, the former Miami Heat player and his wife, Gabrielle Union, opened up about Bryant during Vanity Fair‘s annual Post-Oscars party.
“In every aspect of his life, he became a winner,” Wade told Extra, when asked how he believes people should remember Bryant. “He mastered whatever it is he needed to. And it comes with mistakes along the way, but, eventually, he mastered how to be an amazing basketball player, an amazing father, an amazing husband. So, just remember him mastering being a champion.”
