CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 29: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat brings the ball up the court against the Charlotte Hornets during game six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena on April 29, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Image: Getty)
The Miami Heat take on the Philadelphia 76ers in their final home game of the 2018-2019 season on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST. While the Heat have a very slim chance of making the playoffs, the game will have an added meaning, being that it’s Dwyane Wade‘s last home game.
The matchup features an exciting 76ers team led by youngsters Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler. They’ve got nothing to play for except to stop rust from appearing before the playoffs. After surpassing expectations and morphing into contenders last year, the team has a solid base to push for a championship but also an ever-shrinking window. Butler hits free agency this year along with Tobias Harris. Embiid, still plagued by injury concerns after a rocky first few years in the NBA, will be held out Tuesday night on precautionary measures.
That doesn’t mean that fans won’t be on their toes. Ticket of America’s Michael Lipman reported that tickets at the American Airlines Arena are selling for four times more than what they normally would. Fans are expected to be up and cheering each time 37-year-old Wade, who brought the city three championships, touches the ball.
Around the NBA and even outside it, respects to Wade are being paid. Here are some of the best tributes:
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