Pat Riley surprises Dwyane Wade with Miami Heat statue announcement | NBA on ESPN

Pat Riley surprises Dwyane Wade with Miami Heat statue announcement | NBA on ESPN

Three-time NBA champion and the newest member of the Nay Smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to Way Wayne way to do it heat Nation we’re to welcome Dwayne home and Dwayne you’ve been here for a lot of these ceremonies but as you Gander up to your right how sweet is it see that retired number three with that unique and glorious designation Hall of Famer

Um I mean it’s it’s the most special you know it’s the most special thing in this game for an individual player to walk away from the game and to look at your body at work and to know your body work is considered to be a hall of fame um

Career but uh when I look up there I think about so many of the memories and a lot of those memories include not only myself not only my teammates but a lot of those memories include he nation and so this is for us so thank you guys so much for all

Y’all love and all y’all support because without you guys there’s not one Banner two three four it’s not five banners hanging up there with Hall of Fame underneath so we Hall of Famers before the instate weekend and I would ask you hey Dwayne how’s the speech going and you kept saying I don’t

Know I’m not done yet but when you gave that speech man you put something on it you basically particularly at the end so creative so unique basically had a conversation about the journey with your father in front of us what inspired you to wrap up your speech that way yeah man

My speech was a love letter to my father um it was important for me uh in so many different ways I’m a father um I I know so many fathers I get to understand the relation relationships between Father and Son as we talked about a lot of those relationships

Around the world are strained for whatever reason and so on the biggest stage that I have I wanted to show what healing looks like I wanted to show what love looks like between two men um and I wanted to honor my father because he deserved it an absolutely beautiful

Moment and I think I have a beautiful moment for you right now if we can Welcome to the floor everybody the president of your Miami Heat Pat Riley with a very special note for Dwayne way Jack what is this what that look like bam that look like bam coach like

Glorious Bobblehead Is that bam that look like bam that’s a bobblehead we got a bobble head right here but you know what else are we going to hang from the rafters uh you know we hung a couple of Championship banners and you know Atlantic Coast Conference banners

And then we h a gold medal Banner then we retired your your old butt we hunging from the rafters and the Hall of Fame we put up there today so what else are we going to hang from the banner are from the rafters uh I think we’re going to put a

Bobble head like out there next year will be a statue 8 feet tall 8 ft tall we wanted to make sure it was bigger than Shaquille O’Neal it’ll be the first statue ever that they’ll be here on B game Boulevard Dwayne and it is forever for the greatest player in the history of

This game man you know I love you next year everybody right here will be a stat and I want to thank the Arison family they’re the ones that came up with the idea so it’s going to be great good luck to you my man and here you get

To get the Bible head for a while okay just play with it you take care Pat thank you very much what does it mean to you that when people go on the Google Earth and pull up 601 bis game Boulevard a monument erected forever in your honor will be

There I’m not I’m not really a person who get lost for words I got too many words actually um I didn’t dream of this though and so man I’m just I’m just I’m just so grateful I’m very grateful uh thank to Arison family thank to Riley family um

Thank the city and the State of Florida and Miami just fall in love and I can’t wait for families to be able to experience what that’s going to be like from all around the world um to come and have a moment of of the culture that

Would be out front so I can’t wait to that day man so I’m excited can’t wait to have you back for another gathering with all your family and friends ladies and gentlemen the 2023 nay Smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer the greatest player in the history of the heat Dwayne way way

County I love you [Applause] what an incredible moment you just witnessed Pat Riley bringing tears to the eyes of Dwayne Wade announcing for the first time ever a Heat player will have a statue and fitly enough it is the greatest Heat player of all time the

Smiles for Eric pulser the cheers of the crowd of MVP uh Dwayne Wade statue is coming to the ca Center wow we are coming back with second half action [Applause] [Applause] right

See the moment the Miami Heat president Pat Riley informed HEAT legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Dwyane Wade, that Heat will unveil a bronze statue of him in front of the Kaseya Center in Fall 2024.

(Courtesy: “Heat/Bally Sports Sun”)

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