Miami Heat Check

Dwyane Wade nearly retired during the Miami Big 3 era. Not after the titles. Not when the run was over. Right in the middle of it.

While playing with LeBron James and Chris Bosh and chasing championships, Wade was dealing with knee pain so bad that it made basketball feel unbearable.
His mornings were brutal. His knees hurt so much he could barely bend them, and simple things like putting on underwear felt like climbing Mt. Everest. After games, both knees would swell up.

Wade later said: “My knees were in so much pain.” His right knee had bone bruises and chondromalacia under the kneecap, while his left knee had already gone through three surgeries, leaving him with arthritis, swelling, and constant pain.

At one point, the pain took away the joy completely: “It was a time where I didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t want to be in pain anymore.”

That’s what makes Wade’s Big 3 run even more legendary. He wasn’t just adjusting his game for LeBron. He was fighting his own body every single night.

D-Wade was winning championships while quietly wondering if he could even keep going.

D-Wade on his retirement and LeBron’s longevity:

“I can still play — I can go play right now and still be able to play," Wade said in a recent interview. "But I won’t be that good, so it’s easy for me to decide to walk away. It’s hard to make that decision when you’re still really f*cking good…"

"How do you walk away from being a GOAT when you’re still a GOAT?” Wade added.

That’s the LeBron James dilemma. Year 22, still elite. Still a superstar. Still good enough to make retirement feel impossible.