The basketball story of Dwyane Wade: The underrated superstar who made a tearful exit at 37

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade has played his final regular-season game in the NBA after 16 years. As Wade walked off the court, the television cameras caught a glimpse of longing in his eyes, but his stride remained firm and steady. With the departure of Dwyane Wade, the 03 platinum generation of players in the league has been left with a harsh reality that many longtime fans feel bitter.

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During his 16-year career, Wade won three championships, was a 13-time All-Star, was selected to the All-NBA team eight times, and was selected to the All-Defensive Team three times. He is also a scoring champion, an All-Star MVP, and the all-time leader in blocked shots by a guard. By definition, such an honor would be a huge one, but Wade has never been in the best player discussion in the eyes of many media and fans. Even Heat President Pat Riley never put Wade where he was supposed to be during contract negotiations. With Dwyane Wade announcing his retirement, someone finally shouted "He's the most underrated superstar" in hopes of "rehabilitating" the top guard. But for Wade himself, perhaps such vanity no longer matters. And the reason why he can be so indifferent, and his bumpy upbringing is not unrelated.

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Wade was born on January 17, 1982, in the ghetto of Chicago, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was still very young. Wade and his sister Trajil lived with their mother, but his mother became addicted to drugs and could no longer afford the children, so Wade was sent back to live with his father. Living with his father and stepmother, Wade was clearly more mature and resourceful than his peers, and it was from that moment that he set out to succeed and change his life and the life of his family.

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Wade's father was an avid basketball fan and often attended Bulls games. When Wade was 9 years old, his father took him to a Bulls game. The guy wearing No. 23 made a big impression on the young Wade by shooting from inside. After the game, his father told him that player 23's name was Michael Jordan and that he was the number one star of the Bulls and an honor to all of Chicago. After listening to his father's words, Wade silently put the name in mind, and also clear his own direction to work hard, that is to become a basketball star like Jordan.

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It was difficult for Wade to get professional basketball training from his modest family, so he studied by himself on video and then went out on the wild court to play against men who were years older than him. Wild game is called wild game because there are not so many rules, and Wade, who is not strong, has a hard time taking advantage of opponents who are bigger than him. Especially those strong men, but also deliberately with the savage style of play to eat Wade, to get a certain degree of pleasure. There's no denying that despite being battered on the court, Wade has benefited enormously from playing the game before he even entered high school.

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Wade attended Oak Lawn Harold L. Richards High School and despite making the varsity team, was unable to get much playing time. It wasn't until his senior year that Wade met his beau, Gray Under Armour. As a teaching assistant for the varsity basketball team, Under Armour discovered Wade by accident and gave him more professional guidance, allowing Wade to improve considerably in a short time. The physical and technical development of Wade in the senior year of the varsity first place, average 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds, making him the team's biggest star.

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His outstanding performance in his senior year of high school led Wade to win the favor of many elite basketball schools as a senior, and he finally chose Marquette University. Unfortunately, due to poor academic performance, Wade did not get to play in his freshman year. He studied for a year with his head covered in order to qualify for the competition. As a sophomore, Wade averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.47 steals per game, helping the team to a 26-7 record. In his junior season, Wade averaged 21.5 points per game and led the team to the Final Four. In the 2003 NCAA Tournament, Wade led Marquette University to the Final Four over Kentucky, where he scored 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and was named MVP of the Western Conference.

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Wade's strong performance in the NCAA Tournament brought him more attention, and he decided to enter the NBA draft. The 21-year-old Chicago native began his NBA career on June 24, 2003, when the Miami Heat selected Wade with the No. 5 pick in the draft. During his rookie season, Wade gained the favor of Coach Stan Van Gundy, starting him in 56 games. Wade didn't disappoint, Posting 16.2 points, 4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.41 steals. In his second season, with the help of the Sharks, Wade averaged 24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals, and was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team and the All-Met Team.

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The Heat had a good season in 2005-06, when Wade averaged 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.95 steals during the regular season, helping the Heat finish 52-30, second in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Heat joined the Bulls, Nets and Pistons to meet the Mavericks in the Finals. Wade averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in the six games, helping the Heat win the championship and winning the Finals MVP award, which was the highlight of his career.

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In the seasons after the championship, while Wade continued to shine, the Heat struggled to get past the first round of the playoffs. Determined to change, the Heat formed a Big Three that shook the league in the summer of 2010 and went on to win two of their four consecutive Finals appearances in the following seasons. Over time, the Big Three broke up for a variety of reasons, and the Heat's record also fell, but Wade always chose to stick to it. It was thought that the Flash, who played for the Heat for more than a decade, would die with the Heat, but because of Riley's cold blood, Wade had to leave the Bulls and Cavaliers after two seasons before returning to the Heat early last year.

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Before the start of the 2018-19 season, Wade announced his retirement after one year on his personal social media, and people treated every game he played like a retirement tour. On April 11, Wade performed his "last dance" on an NBA court, fulfilling a promise he made last year. Despite being away from the game he loves so much, Wade now has more time to spend with his family. Hopefully, the Flash will have a happier life in the future.