A remarkable career may be coming to an end sooner than we expected.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Heat guard Dwyane Wade is unsure if he’ll be returning next season:
Wade, 36, told me in recent days that for the first time in his career, he is genuinely undecided whether he wants to play beyond this season. Wade has said that he will only play for the Heat, if he continues his career beyond this season.
“I don’t know,” Wade said. “I have told everybody around me that I am taking it after this season and go from there. It’s the first year I’ve ever went into the summer with that mind-set. I always went into it as a free agent or opting out of a deal to get another deal. This is the first summer I can say I’m just going into the summer and see how I feel and see the position this organization is in and go from there. I’m not really concerned with it, honestly. I’m cool with whatever I decide to do. It will be my decision.”
Asked if he must determine whether he has the desire to keep going, the 12-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion responded:
“Definitely,” he said. “You definitely have to check that. A lot of things go into it. Do you want to put that same grind in again? As you get older, it’s a different kind of grind to get ready for games, to get your body ready. [And] can you mentally go through another year and give it your all and not be checked out in the middle of that season?
“[Udonis Haslem] always talked about, as you get older, you take it year by year. But this is the first summer that I will go into the summer and say I ain’t got much hair left, but I’m going to let my hair down and look at everything as a whole, my family and basketball. Being back here helps that situation for me, makes the decision even easier since now that I’m back already. And sit down with Pat [Riley] and Micky [Arison] and everybody and see what’s best for me and go from there.”
Wade is averaging 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season. He currently ranks 31st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and is second (only to Michael Jordan) in all-time blocks among guards.
RELATED
Dwyane Wade Talks Li-Ning, Building His Legacy, LaVar Ball, And More
