Fighting back tears in a dimly lit room on Sunday afternoon, Dwyane Wade stared down the lens of a solitary camera.
After taking a deep breath, an emotional Wade began to explain the internal struggle that led to the hardest decision he’s ever made: returning for one last season.
The Heat legend said that for most of the summer, he wasn’t sure if he could spend another day away from his loved ones.
“You ask yourself so many questions,” Wade said. “Can I be away from my family? Is it selfish for me wanting to continue being away from my family?
“Can I miss my sons’ games?… Can I not be there in moments that they need me?…
“I feel like my family have put me first for so many years, for good reasons. But I feel like there comes a point in time where we all have to think about someone else.”
Wade added that the recent passing of longtime agent Henry “Hank” Thomas, someone he grew incredibly close to, also weighed heavily on his mind.
“A lot of you guys don’t know, because ya’ll look at us as superheroes,” Wade said.
“But we’re human. I lost somebody very important in my life. When I lost Hank, I lost a part of me, I lost a part of the joy of the game of basketball.”
Concluding that his decision was bigger than basketball, the man they call Father Prime is coming back for one more season to make people like Hank proud.
And if you thought Wade’s announcement was emotional, just wait until next season.
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