VIDEO: Dwyane Wade Honors Kobe Bryant at End of Jersey Retirement Ceremony
By Jerry Trotta
The Miami Heat decided to honor Dwyane Wade's legendary career with a weekend-long celebration. As expected, Saturday was the main entree and the night finished with Flash's iconic No. 3 jersey swaying from the rafters at American Airlines Arena. As is the norm with these ceremonies, Wade grabbed the microphone to thank Heat fans for their undying support, and the future first ballot Hall of Famer concluded his speech with a moving shoutout to the late Kobe Bryant.
D-Wade closes his speech with some words on the late Kobe Bryant ? pic.twitter.com/DVzMgg4zaD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 23, 2020
Wade, as noted during the immediate grieving period, was absolutely crushed to learn of Bryant's untimely death. You might think that Wade should've said more to honor his friend, but he nailed it right on the head.
"The most important thing is to try to inspire others, so they can be great in whatever they choose to do."
— NBA (@NBA) February 23, 2020
Dwyane Wade closes out his jersey retirement ceremony by quoting the late Kobe Bryant. ?? pic.twitter.com/RpajxuvCuZ
Things simply didn't need to be overblown here.
Wade is still grieving the loss of Kobe, but Saturday night was about recognizing his career, one that the Black Mamba evidently played a prominent role in. It was only right that the three-time champion kept it as simple as showcasing one of Bryant's many inspiring one-liners.