Dwyane Wade has probably been in the arena the Miami Heat call home thousands of times, so he certainly still remembered how to get there on Thursday.
Knowing where he was supposed to be, that was an issue.
“Opposite side of the building,” Wade said. “I really did not know where to go.”
Photo: AFP
Once he got inside, everything — the sense of direction, the emotions, even the competitive juices — all came back to him. Wade played in Miami as an opponent for the first time, he and the Chicago Bulls making their lone appearance of the season in the arena where he was revered for years and before a crowd that let him know time and time again how much he is still appreciated.
“Little different,” Wade said. “I won’t use the word ‘weird.’ I’ll use the word ‘different.’”
Different feeling, his usual result: Wade left Miami a winner.
He scored 13 points as the Bulls beat the Heat 98-95.
“Weird game, man. It’s one of the weirdest games I’ve ever played in,” Wade said. “I’m glad it’s over. I’m glad we got a win.”
It was a night he simultaneously awaited and dreaded, for plenty of reasons. Wade left the Heat as a free agent last summer, signed with his hometown Bulls and when the schedule came out the first thing to check was when he would be back in Miami. The trip was not even going to last 24 hours, barely long enough to go see the house he still owns and spend a tiny bit of time in the city he still adores.
“I don’t get emotional about anything,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “except for these kind of things.”
Wade was welcomed with applause and hugs when he walked into the arena, more cheers when he ran out for warmups, then got a big ovation when he was introduced — last, just like when he played in Miami. And then came the signature moment, the sold-out crowd rising to its feet as a video montage of some of his best Miami moments played.
Everyone in the building, even the referees, had eyes on the video screens during that tribute. When it ended, Wade stepped back onto the floor and blew appreciative kisses to the crowd.
And when he made two late free-throws to help secure the win, yes, he got booed.
However, after the final buzzer, it was all love.
Wade hugged plenty of his former teammates, made special trips over to greet the wife of Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and general manager Andy Elisburg, then saluted the fans who stayed to watch him leave the floor — long after every other player departed.
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