Dwyane Wade wrapped up the final game of his NBA career on Wednesday when the Miami Heat took on the Brooklyn Nets. He was also cheered on by his pals LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, who were there to celebrate his historic 16-year career.
But the night before, another big name acknowledged that wonderful run during Wade’s last Miami home game, and that was Barack Obama, who recorded a message that was played during the game’s broadcast.
“Congratulations on a great run,” said the 44th president. “I know what you’re going through, because saying goodbye to a career that you love is never easy. I’ve been there. In my case, though, I didn’t really have a choice. My knees were shot so I had to give up basketball forever.”
“You, on the other hand, look like you’re still hooping out there, and I imagine it’s a little tougher when you’ve just completed one of the greatest careers in NBA history,” he added.
And it truly was a great career, seeing Wade wracked up three championships, 13 all-star appearances and won a scoring title in 2009. He was also named Finals MVP when the Miami Heat won their first title in 2006.
Along the way, Wade suffered a string of injuries and underwent multiple surgeries but always bounced back, which Obama praised him for.
“Whenever you got knocked down, you always showed us how to get back up,” said the former president. “You showed some Chicago spirit. You did us proud.”
In his last home game, Wade scored 30 points in 34 minutes of play. He also crashed into John Legend and Chrissy Teigen in the front row when he attempted to make a shot. That photo eventually went viral, and Legend as well as his supermodel wife were heavily memed.
In Wade’s very last game, he went for a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He was then pulled out with 10.1 seconds remaining and received a huge standing ovation, which you can see below.
