It’s understandable that Dwyane Wade’s decision to leave the Heat and sign with the Chicago Bulls caught a lot of people off-guard. After all, Miami is the only place Wade has called home over his 13 years in the NBA, and during that time, he built a legacy as South Florida’s most beloved athlete and greatest champion.
But contentious contract negotiations caused a total fallout between Wade and the Heat, and now he’s heading back to his hometown of Chicago ready to start a new chapter at age 34.
If that’s still hard to wrap your head around, don’t feel too bad…even Wade’s own family apparently didn’t think it would happen.
Dwyane Wade's family members in Chicago texted they were even shocked that Wade being a Bull actually happened.
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) July 7, 2016
And yet here we are — Dwyane Wade, a Bull.
Between the reaction from Wade’s family to how Pat Riley responded to the news, it seems that quite a lot of people close to Wade still thought he would stay loyal to the Heat regardless of how choppy the waters got this offseason.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Covered Heat for 10 years. Bottom line: Wade-Heat divorce was an icon's ego at odds with a superstar's sense of entitlement. Both justified.
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) July 7, 2016
Ultimately, it culminated in some pretty bad news for Riley and Heat fans, who are left trying to pick up the pieces and move on while Wade’s family in Chicago gets a homecoming they never expected.
