Until now, having a jersey retired by the Miami Heat meant living in the moment.
Dwyane Wade is changing that math. He’s living — living large, in fact — for an entire weekend as part of his No. 3 rising to the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“When you’ve got your own county, you can do different things,” he said during an appearance this week on ESPN’s “The Jump.”
So Friday night there will be a celebration of his career at AmericanAirlines Arena at the start of Wade’s L3GACY Weekend, followed by Saturday’s raising of his number at halftime of the Heat’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, followed by a Sunday presentation of his documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected.
“That’s about right, that sounds right,” Wade said of moving past the confines of a single halftime commemoration, as was the case for Alonzo Mourning’s Heat No. 33, Tim Hardaway’s No. 10, Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 and Chris Bosh’s No 1. “Three days for No. 3. Three rings. It all goes.”
Saturday, Wade said, should be the most emotional of the celebrations.
“It’s going to be a special day for me,” he said. “I try not to get emotional a lot. A little bit in my documentary, you’ll see some emotion. But I definitely know I’ll be emotional, because every moment from your career is going to come back fast to your mind.
“For me, just a kid with a dream, man. I had a dream of playing the game of basketball. And now I can walk away and say, ‘High school? Jersey retirement. College? Jersey retirement. NBA? Jersey retirement. You know what kid? You did all right.’ “
Wade has been touring for screenings of his documentary, including one in his Chicago hometown just before All-Star Weekend there, and then one on Thursday night in Milwaukee, where he played at Marquette.
Wade won championships with the Heat in 2006, ’12 and ’13, retiring with the team last April.
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“I look at my life like it’s someone else’s story,” he said in the documentary, which chronicles his life on and off the court.
“There are so many parts of my life when I hear my sister or my cousins or I hear my brothers or someone talk about our life, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, yes. That did happen!'”
L3GACY Celebration
Friday: “The Flashback.” The 8 p.m. event at AmericanAirlines Arena, which is sold out, will honor Wade’s impact on NBA basketball, the Heat and the South Florida community. Those in attendance will be treated to a sneak peek of the jersey-retirement banner. Coverage to be provided on Fox Sports Sun beginning at 7:30 p.m., as well as 790-The Ticket.
Saturday: Formal raising of Wade’s No. 3 jersey to the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena at halftime of 8 p.m. game against Cleveland. Because of Friday’s event and NBA-imposed time restrictions, the ceremony is scheduled to be briefer than previous Heat jersey retirements.
Sunday: Presentation of Wade’s documentary at 3:30 p.m. on Arena screens, with Wade to attend and address those in attendance. Doors open at 2:30, with tickets priced at $3 and proceeds benefiting Wade’s World Foundation. There also will be opportunities for photos with Wade’s retired-jersey banner.
Details at HEAT.com/L3GACY.